During World War II, the home front played an important supporting role for fighting men and women while also protecting itself and making sacrifices in everyday life. Rosie the Riveter became a household name in America as the showcase for thousands of women who left high paying jobs to build equipment for the nation’s fighting forces. Other civilian activities on the home front included blackouts, rationing, bond drives, U.S.O. clubs, and civil defense, along with waiting for dreaded telegrams or visits from authorities announcing that daughters, sons, brothers, fathers, and friends had been wounded or killed in action. The country was united as never before or after, truly the Greatest Generation.