Actually, at that time she was Norma Jeane Dougherty, having married James Dougherty at the age of 16. Norma was hired by Reginald Denny to work in his target drone factory spraying glue on aircraft fabric and inspecting and packing recovery parachutes.
See: A "Rosie the Riveter" is Discovered
In 1939, after developing a series of unmanned aerial vehicles, Englishman Reginald Leigh Denny and two Americans, Walter Righter and Kenneth Case, formed the Radioplane Company, which was to later become Northrop's Ventura division. During WWII, Radioplane built thousands of radio-controlled target drones, which were used by the Army for anti-aircraft practice.
In 1944, while working at Radioplane, Ethel Dougherty and her daughter-in-law joined the ranks of the millions of women known as "Rosie the Riveters" helping the war effort. During her 60-hour workweek at the nation's minimum wage of $20 a week, Norma Jeane's assignments included spraying glue on aircraft fabric and inspecting and folding parachutes.
As part of a publicity campaign to drum up support for the nation's war effort and to elevate the soldier's morale, the U.S. Army established the First Motion Picture Unit. Many movie stars were part of this unit, which soon became known as the "Celluloid Commandos." Those in uniform at the time included Alan Ladd and Clark Gable. The unit, whose base was known as "Fort Roach," was housed in the Hal Roach Studio in Culver City, Calif.
David Conover, an Army photographer, was assigned to Fort Roach. Actor Ronald Reagan was his commanding officer. In June 1945, Reagan, a friend of Denny, sent David Conover to Radioplane's Van Nuys plant to take pictures of women involved in the war effort.
As Conover moved down the assembly line, his attention was drawn to one particular blue-eyed "Rosie the Riveter," who was in the process of putting propellers on aircraft. Norma Jeane's curly ash-blonde hair framed her pretty but dirt-smudged face. He snapped her picture several times, and continued down the assembly line. But he later returned to ask if she had a sweater with her; he wanted her to pose for him during her lunch hour.
Conover noted that 19-year-old Norma Jeane's response to the camera was amazing. She seemed to "come alive" with an immediate and natural instinct. In fact, he was so excited by his discovery that he could barely hold the camera steady. He must have hidden his excitement from his subject, because the teenager timidly asked if she was photogenic.
After several photo sessions and with Conover's influence, Norma Jeane applied at the Blue Book Modeling Agency. There she was groomed in the art of modeling and encouraged to lighten her hair. She soon had the attention of every producer in Hollywood. In July 1946, Norma Jeane signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios, and shortly thereafter became known as Marilyn Monroe.
Her marriage to Dougherty lasted almost four years. Dougherty later wrote a book about his marriage to Norma Jeane, entitled "The Secret Happiness of Marilyn Monroe." And of course, Marilyn Monroe became a legend.