From building airplane parts in a Rockford, Illinois plant and joining the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve at the age of 22, to becoming a stewardess for United Airlines and a leader at charitable organizations, Sgt. Roberta “Randy” Tidmore‘s lifetime of accomplishments are what embody a real-life Rosie the Riveter. Family and friends gathered at the San Diego History Center on Tuesday to celebrate Tidmore’s 103rd birthday and enjoy a unique gift – watching an episode of the docu-series, “Trailblazing Women” that is focused on her. Guests enjoyed cake and champagne while wearing pins with Tidmore doing the iconic “We Can Do It!” pose to commemorate the retired World War II veteran. Her cake was also decorated with the same iconic pose. The San Diego History Center and Women’s Museum of California organized the event to honor Tidmore’s legacy as one of the first women to join the Marine Corps in 1944, along with her lifetime of service to organizations like Clipped Wings, the Women’s Marine Association, the Special Olympics, the Globe Gilders and the Salvation Army. Lt. Julie Roland was among the speakers who gave heartfelt tributes during Tidmore’s celebration. As a woman with 10 years of military service as a helicopter pilot, she expressed her gratitude for Tidmore paving the way for women in her field and for being an inspiration to the next generation in the continued fight for equality. She says Tidmore’s story serves as a powerful reminder for young women, both in and out of uniform, that despite being a minority in some spaces, their contributions are vital to the fabric of our military and society. “I’m highly qualified to fire missiles, torpedoes and rockets, but still, I’m often the only woman in the room. On tough days at work, I remind myself that I’m continuing the work that women like Randy started and like them, my presence and performance prove to my male colleagues and to the world that I belong, plus it hopefully shows young girls what is possible,” Roland said. “Representation matters. Role models like Randy demonstrate to young women, including myself, that our aspirations are valid. Every time I put on my flight suit, I think about the women who broke barriers for me to be there. I feel both pride and gratitude for their sacrifice and success, and thinking of them makes me more motivated to strive for excellence myself.” Former KUSI news anchor Sandra Maas also shared some words about her relationship with Tidmore. She recalled how they met at a Salvation Army event in 2022 and the work they did together on the episode of “Trailblazing Women,” Maas’ award-winning video series. Guests had the opportunity to watch the episode for the first time with Tidmore sitting amongst them in the audience. The 13-minute video gave a detailed account of Tidmore’s achievements over the years, filled with photos over the past 10 decades and a sit-down interview with Tidmore herself. Maas’ narration of Tidmore’s life not only highlighted her bravery during wartime, but also her selflessness in striving to live a life dedicated to serving others. In fact, Tidmore recalled the exact moment in her youth when she realized she wanted to devote herself to volunteerism. “I think when I was in college. I was living in the dorm, and one night we had a party. We had a truth session and everybody that got a drink had to tell the truth about how they felt about it. Someone said that I was so spoiled that I never did anything for anybody unless I got a return of someone, and I’ve never forgotten that,” Tidmore said in her episode of “Trailblazing Women.” “I mean, that made the biggest impression of anything I can remember in my life, of anybody saying anything to me, and I have always tried to do things so that they wouldn’t necessarily be known and that I wouldn’t get any benefit from it because it really affected me.”In honor of Tidmore, the Women’s Museum launched a fundraising campaign in hopes of preserving more stories of women veterans across San Diego. For one-time or monthly contributions, people can donate either $19.22 (Tidmore’s year of birth), $80 (years since the end of WWII) or $103 (Tidmore’s age). Donations can be made online.