TRENTONIAN TIME CAPSULE
“We Can Do It!” Between 1941 and 1945 millions of American women stepped forward to do their part for the war effort. Military enlistment left a large “male” employment gap during the war years and because of this, the United States female labor force grew to more than six million strong. Switlik Parachute Company employees Alberta Slabicki, Ann Onda-Materniak, and Sophie Fsyz are just a few of the women who picked up the slack by working in munitions factories, shipyards, and other defense-related industries. These hometown war heroes morphed into “Rosie the Riveter,” a cultural icon that to this day represents the resilience of the American home front. The ladies are pictured at a Switlik War Bond fundraiser. Photo courtesy of Glenn Materniak.