Lavon Hellinga & Ron Jones
“You owe your country, and your country does not owe you…live up to what our forefathers fought for and sacrificed for…if it wasn’t for your WWI and WWII veterans giving you freedom–you might be somewhere else today.” -Lavon Hellinga
*To play show, click sound bar at bottom of page.
All of our previous shows have been very focused on food or fitness for the most part. This show started out as a research project on the WWII Women’s Army Corps (WACs) physical training which led us into finding an actual “Rosie the Riveter” during WWII–Mrs. Lavon Hellinga in California.
B-24 Factory (AirWingMedia.com)
Mrs. Hellinga began as a Rosie Riveter at age 18 because she was too young to be accepted into the US Navy WAVES-Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. At age 20, she entered service as with the US NAVY WAVES and served until discharged at the end of the war. She went on to raise a full family with her husband Bill who also served during WWII.
While this show is not as focused on fitness and food–it digs deeper into a sort of “spiritual health” needed for our Greatest Generation to get the job done under incredibly difficult circumstances. What a delightful person and show! It was truly an honor to speak with Lavon Hellinga. We were joined by her daughter Kathy and our photo assistant Lisa. The show was set up by Lavon’s other daughter Carol, so thanks to everyone for making this important show possible.
References:
- Rosie the Riveter (Wikipedia)
- US Navy WAVES (Wikipedia)
- US Navy WAVES (Amusing Planet)
- US Army WACS (Wikipedia)
- B-24 Liberator Bombers (Ask.com)
- Mabel Lee & WAC Physical Training (The Lean Berets)
- iTunes Library The Lean Berets
