Original 'Rosie the Riveter' from Bucks County receiving Congressional Gold Medal

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- From the factory floor to the congressional honor, an original Rosie the Riveter from Bucks County is earning her stripes with a Congressional Medal for heroic efforts.

When soldiers went to fight Nazis, Mae Krier went to work in a factory building bombs.

She was one of the original Rosie the Riveters and after years of lobbying for recognition for women at work during the war, her riveting resilience paid off.

"Up until 1941, it was a man's world. They didn't know capable American women were," said Mae Krier.

And Krier is living proof. At 17, she went to work helping build up the nation's arsenal on the assembly line during WWII.

Krier turned 98 on March 21 - Rosie the Riveter Day.

Rosie the Riveter is a term for the women who flooded factories to build planes, ships and bombs to fight Nazis and Japan. It's often symbolized by an iconic 1943 poster.

"Men came home with flying flags, and Rosie came home with a pink slip, but we never got the credit that we deserved and that bothered me to think the men will tell you they couldn't have won the war without us," said Krier.

She spent half her life fighting that injustice. She taught younger generations about the Rosies and worked to get the recognition the women deserved. US Senator Bob Casey led the charge to get the ladies a Congressional Gold Medal.

Senator Casey tells Action News: "Mae Krier and the Rosies represent a generation of women that didn't hesitate to answer the call of their nation in a time of global conflict. Their 'We Can Do It' spirit has stood as a powerful example, not only for working women but for all Americans. I was proud to recognize the Rosies with the Congressional Gold Medal as a small measure of our gratitude for the immense role they played during one of our Nation's greatest challenges."

"I'll be accepting it for all the Rosies. It's nice and a wonderful honor," said Krier.

Krier will be in Washington on April 10 to accept the medal and will be accompanied by 30 other Rosies, who range in age from their late 90s to 106 years old.