‘Rosie’s Riveters’ nose art dedication immortalizes legacy of 100th BG pilot with 100th ARW One of the 100th Bombardment Group’s most iconic World War II pilots has been immortalized into the newest heritage nose art of a 100th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker – tail number 58-0089 – which was unveiled at a ceremony at RAF Mildenhall June 10, 2021.
Source: www.mildenhall.af.mil
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he “Rosie’s Riveters” nose art was created to honor Lt. Col. Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal, a legendary pilot assigned to the 418th Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bomb Group from September 1943 to September 1944 at Thorpe Abbotts, Diss, England. Rosie first became part of the 100th ARW heritage when the 100th Operations Group auditorium was renamed the Rosenthal Auditorium in May 2012. In addition to the unveiling ceremony of the nose art, the “Rosie’s Riveters” jet was also officially taken on by the 100th Maintenance Group as part of the “Adopt-a-Jet” program, as the historical
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ABOVE: Dan Rosenthal, son of legendary World War II pilot Lt. Col. Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal, speaks at the nose art unveiling ceremony.
affiliation of “Rosie’s Riveters” made them a natural fit. The aim of the program is to give Airmen the opportunity to learn more about the specific ancestry behind the aircraft nose art. Enabling squadrons to have a stronger link to the RAF Mildenhall mission is a way of introducing Airmen to the 100th BG and strengthening the ties to the 100th ARW’s heritage. Rosie signed up to join the U.S. Army Air Forces in December 1941 – the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor – and immediately knew he
