CHARLESTON, W.Va. — If she had complied with the law, Anna Hess would likely not have worked for Mohawk Industries during World War II.

"I told a little white lie," she said. "I went to work when I was 15 years old."

Telling factory officials she was 18, Hess began building tire bands for trucks that would be used overseas by Allied troops.

Now 89, Hess was among 25 World War II female workers who were recognized Thursday in Charleston for their roles in manufacturing equipment for the American military and its allies.

The female workers were referred to as "Rosie the Riveters," named after a government campaign to encourage women to take a manufacturing job,

Hess said she grew up in "back in the head of one of the hollers" in Roane County. She still …show more content…
"We had been planning this for about six months, and two of the women that we identified as likely able to come died."

Fleischauer said each "Rosie" has a story about perseverance and unity that needs to be known for future generations.

"We need to hear that it's time to come together," she said. "We need to pull together because we're a country and we need to act like a country that's one united."

Hess' story in Akron continued after the war. She stayed and manufactured tires for passenger vehicles, though shifts at the plant did change; the war schedule of three eight-hour shifts became four six-hour shifts to provide jobs for returning soldiers.

"I saw this young man coming into work with us one day and we hadn't seen any good-looking young men for a young time," she said.

The man was who would end up being her late husband, Franklin. He had joined the National Guard and was stationed in Alaska when Pearl Harbor happened. He joined the plant in 1946.

"Eight months (after we met), I married him," she said, smiling.

The Hesses worked at the plant until 1948, when they moved to Morgantown, Franklin's