Martinez, George
- Object Type
- Oral history
- Object ID
- 15333
- Date
- June 24 2008
- Description
- George Martinez (1933- ) grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with two sisters. His parents were both born in Columbia, as well as his older sister Grace Martinez De La Rosa (1923- ), who worked as a welder at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during WWII. After marrying, Grace Martinez De La Rosa moved to Mexico City, while George Martinez worked for the US Postal Service and currently lives on Long Island. Grace Martinez De La Rosa (1923- ) was studying to become a teacher in college when WWII began and she left to work at the Navy Yard. In his interview, George Martinez (1933- ) discusses his own experience growing up during the war, as well as what he remembers of his sister's work as a welder at the Navy Yard. He remembers collecting scraps for the war effort and his sister returning home with a burned uniform or eye injuries. George Martinez explains that many people who could not get jobs before the war, because of disabilities or race, were able to get jobs at the Navy Yard during this time. He also recalls the block party with his neighbors to celebrate the end of the war.
- Related Collection
- Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History Project
- Subject
- Labor and Yard Workers
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