MONUMENT, Colo. (KDVR) – She was the kind of World War II veteran you don’t hear much about — a woman. But 80 years later, she’s finally being honored for her service to her country.

Marie West has been named the FOX31 Serving Those Who Serve Hero of the Month. West, 101, of Monument, served in the Navy WAVES, or Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

“Yes, I was excited about it,” she told FOX31.

An Iowa farm girl, West wanted to sign up and do her part for her country. So, off she went to Hunter College in New York City for basic training in a new division of the U.S. Navy designed to put women to work on the home front so more men could be freed up for sea duty.

“I felt I was helping. Of course, I went to boot camp and learned about the Navy. Of course, did a lot of marching,” West said.

West was assigned to Moffett Field in Santa Clara County, California. Her duties included wrangling Navy blimps and fixing their parts too.

“That was my area, starters, generators. And I honed pistons,” West said.

You name it, these women did it. And no task was too big or small. West even had a brush with fame — she served lunch to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

“It was boot camp and she came in the line, and she just shook my hand and congratulated us back there (in the kitchen) doing the food work,” West said.

West now lives with her daughter in Monument, where a scrapbook is filled with memories from World War II. Each page details the hard work that defined a woman committed to doing her part for her country.

“As our entire family says, she’s a living legend to them. And they said (she’s) the strongest woman they’ve ever met,” her daughter Patsy Janeba told FOX31.

That strength and determination is what makes her the FOX31 Hero of the Month. In addition to a plaque from our Serving Those Who Serve partners at Ford, West received a $500 Visa gift card from the Leo Hill Charitable Trust.

To nominate a veteran or active-duty service member for our Hero of the Month honors, visit the nomination page.