WWII bombshell given state award for helping boost soldiers’ morale

PORTAGE, Ind. – A former U.S. Navy pinup girl whose curvy image graced the sides of American bombers during World War II has been honored for her role in boosting soldiers’ morale.\nAt the height of the war, Aline Osborn’s seductive photos were found on the walls of thousands of GIs’ bunks and her image was painted on the sides of bombers by love-struck soldiers.\nOsborn, now 81, said she sometimes received 120 or so letters a day from soldiers who had her sexy pinups and wrote to her asking for a date.\n“All through the war I entertained the servicemen and when I couldn’t do it, I got my friends to do it for me,” Osborn said.\nShe was honored Friday for her role in the Valentines for Veterans campaign during a ceremony at Golden Living Centers-Fountainview in Portage, Ind., where she’s \nnursing a broken femur.\nState Rep. Greg Simms, D-Valparaiso, presented her with a proclamation from the Indiana House of Representatives honoring her work more than six decades ago.\nDebra Dudek, director of student services for Portage Township Schools, said students helped make more than 1,600 cards for veterans after hearing Osborn’s story and learning about the project.\n“This is an act of love for our veterans,” Dudek said. “I sent out one request, and the cards just poured in.”\nMembers and auxiliary of American Legion Post 260, church members and students from day care centers also helped make the cards, which the auxiliary will deliver to the Indiana Veterans’ Home on Valentine’s Day.\nOsborn, a Lake Station resident, began modeling in the 1940s in Chicago. She had a few modeling jobs, but the Navy pinup series was her big break and got her in a lot of magazines.\nHer nights were spent dancing with soldiers at the Aragon Ballroom and other Chicago hot spots, all under the watchful eye of her protective father.\n“My dad used to take me home,” she said. “He wouldn’t let any of the boys take me.”\nLooking back on her modeling days, Osborn said the best thing was meeting James Osborn, the minor league baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox who became her husband.\n“He was tall, dark and handsome and I fell in love immediately,” she said. “I still love him as much as the day I met him.”\nJames Osborn’s new job at Inland Steel Company brought the couple to northwestern Indiana, where they raised six children.\nEileen Osborn, one of their daughters, said her mother’s stories are fascinating.\n“We have photo albums, and she’s always talking about how she had bundles and bundles of letters from sailors,” she said.\nWhile Aline Osborn still enjoys attention, she said she’s looking forward to recovering from her broken femur so she can return home to her husband of 60 years.\n“We were a dandy couple,” James Osborn said. “We still are.”