CAMP RIPLEY-The Minnesota Military Museum honors Dolores Marie Vosika of the Women's Army Corps in their Featured Veteran exhibit, a release said.
Dolores was born in 1915 in Minneapolis. After graduating from East Vocational High School in 1933, she began working as a stenographer. In 1939 she worked at Durke Atwood making automobile parts. From April 1941 to June 1943 she was employed at Honeywell where she helped assemble aircraft parts.
Her service career began in 1943 when she joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corp, which later became the Women's Army Corps. After basic training in Des Moines, Iowa, she was stationed at Arlington Hall in Washington, D.C. Dolores was assigned to the 2nd Service Signal Battalion, and was a Cryptanalysis Technician coding and decoding top secret messages. She rose to the enlisted rank of Technician 4th Grade.
She left military service on Feb. 8, 1946, and returned to her job at Honeywell. After working days and attending college classes at night, she graduated in July 1949 with a degree from the University of Minnesota. When her mother got sick, Dolores gave her around-the-clock care, effectively becoming her nurse. When her mother passed away in 1951, she continued to live at home and took care of her father Joseph until his death in 1960. Shortly after his passing, the family home was sold and she moved into an apartment. Dolores never married and had no children, but at the time of her death in 2010 she left many loving nieces and nephews.
The public is invited to visit the entire exhibit on Dolores Vosika. The museum represents all branches of the service and honors Minnesota Veterans and military history from the states frontier days to the present.
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The Minnesota Military Museum is located just inside the gates of Camp Ripley and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7 days per week from May through September, including all holidays. Adult visitors to Camp Ripley need a photo I.D for entrance.
