Collinsville Resident Presented with Highest Civilian Honor for World War II Service
Betty Wrigley, 98, joined the workforce during World War II as part of the Rosie the Riveter program. On Oct. 13, 2024, her service was recognized.
COLLINSVILLE - A local woman was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor a civilian can achieve.
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On Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, at the Collinsville VFW, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski presented Betty Wrigley with the medal in recognition of her service during World War II. Wrigley, 98, was a “Rosie the Riveter” and joined the workforce during WWII.
“I’m grateful for the honor, really,” Wrigley said. “At the time, I didn’t think it was that important.”
Peter Stehman, museum manager at the Collinsville Historical Museum, shared information about the Rosie the Riveter program. He noted that six million women joined the workforce, half of whom left school, like Wrigley. Less than 10% of these women actually worked in the war industry.
At age 15, Wrigley left her home in St. Louis and traveled to Washington State to work in the Puget Sound Navy Yard. She worked as a shipfitter’s helper and helped repair ships that were damaged in battle, including the USS California, which was damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Wrigley shared that she was “one of the fairly early ones.” Her badge number was 5,234. By the time she left, the badge numbers were over 100,000.
After the war, Wrigley returned to St. Louis, where she met her husband. They moved to Collinsville and raised their twins. During the ceremony on Oct. 13, Wrigley was surrounded by her family, including her great-granddaughter.
“At just 15 years old, to leave home and leave your family and travel across the country to work in a hot and noisy shipyard — it would require immense selflessness, courage, and a deep love of country,” Budzinski said. “It is truly heroic. Betty and other Rosies like her were undeniably trailblazers motivated by a call to service.”
Budzinski and Representative Katie Stuart emphasized Wrigley’s service and the work she did to pave the way for women like them. They shared their appreciation for Wrigley and the six million women who stepped into the workforce during WWII as part of the Rosie the Riveter program.
“I’m just very thankful for, because of women like you and people that broke these barriers, the opportunities that have been afforded to women,” Stuart said.
Budzinski noted that the Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the U.S. It was first awarded to George Washington in 1776, and only 184 people and institutions have received the medal.
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