Mallie Mellon was born in Hazard, Kentucky in October 1919. She had three sisters and one brother, and was the youngest of the children. During the Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], her father owned a 105-acre farm with cows and horses. Her mother would sell milk, butter, and vegetables that they produced. Mellon moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1943 and she began working at Briggs [Annotator's Note: Briggs Manufacturing Company]. After Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], her husband was classified 4F [Annotator's Note: Selective Service classification for individuals who are not fit for service in the Armed Forces] so they decided to move to Detroit for work. At Briggs, she worked on B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] airplane wings. They had a two-year-old son, which made it hard to get an apartment. Mellon wanted to the work in order to help with the war effort. Her responsibility was burnishing. She would check the tools she needed in and out at the beginning and end of each work day. At that time, women did not wear slacks, so she was surprised when she was provided with coveralls. [Annotator's Note: Mellon laughs.]

Mallie Mellon found that the men she worked with [Annotator's Note: at Briggs Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan] were very nice. The workplace was integrated. She worked on the wings of B-29 bombers [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber]. They [Annotator's Note: Mellon and her husband and son] moved to Ypsilanti [Annotator's Note: Ypsilanti, Michigan] in 1956 and she got a job in the office of the Kresge store [Annotator's Note: a department store], retiring in 1974 to take care of her husband who had cancer and passed away in 1976. She remarried in 1986. Her maiden name was Osborne. Having a job made her feel more secure and taught her to appreciate everything more since she had to work hard for it. She worked at Briggs from 1943 until the war ended in 1945. They listened to the radio at home to follow news of the war.

Mallie Mellon heard that President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] passed away on the radio. This is also how she learned that the war had ended, and they celebrated. Her job [Annotator's Note: at Briggs Manufacturing Company in Detroit, Michigan] ended so she got a job in a restaurant until she and her husband moved to Ypsilanti [Annotator's Note: Ypsilanti, Michigan] in 1956. She really enjoyed working at Briggs. Riveting was hard, but she enjoyed the burnishing work [Annotator's Note: preparing holes for riveting]. The riveting gun was heavy, and she did not like that job so much. She worked specifically on the wings [Annotator's Note: of Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombers]. Her husband had worked in coal mines in Kentucky, which was dangerous, and they thought it would be better to change fields so they decided to both get jobs at Briggs. It was not common at the time for women to work, which changed with the start of the war. She also worked with men who were unable to serve in the military. World War 2 made Mellon appreciate things more. She felt proud of herself. She worked five days a week and never got any vacation time.

Mallie Mellon appreciates that people are now interested in knowing what Home Front workers like her did at home to contribute to the war effort. It was a hard life. She was exhausted after work, but had a son to take care of and other chores to do at home when she got off. She does not have any photographs of herself from that time. [Annotator's Note: There is a break in the interview.] Her mother would send her ration stamps.