30+ Surviving 'Rosie the Riveters' Receive American Spirit Award at National WWII Museum on D-Day

More than 30 surviving 'Rosie the Riveters' gathered at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans on June 6, 2026 — the 82nd anniversary of D-Day — to receive the museum's 2026 American Spirit Award, its highest honor, during the annual Dr. Hal Baumgarten D-Day Commemoration. The women were recognized for powering the wartime industrial effort, learning technical skills including welding, riveting, aircraft assembly, and munitions manufacturing to help produce equipment and supplies for Allied forces while millions of men served overseas. Among the honorees was 101-year-old Delphine Klaput, who worked at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft factory in Baltimore during the war's final years. This year's American Spirit Award class also included composer John Williams and former NFL player and ALS advocate Steve Gleason. The American Spirit Award recognizes individuals and organizations that 'exemplify the outstanding qualities of the American spirit and inspire these values in others.'