Vesta Stoudt began working at the Green River Ordnance Plant in Dixon, Illinois. Her role involved packing cartridges and rifles in boxes for shipment to troops overseas.

Vesta recognized a critical flaw in the existing method of sealing ammunition boxes. Waxed paper tape and heavy twine were used, which were slow, difficult to apply, and often failed, leading to potential damage to the contents and delays in supply.

Vesta conceived the idea of using a strong, waterproof cloth tape to seal the boxes. This tape would be faster to apply, more reliable, and easier for soldiers to open in the field. She sketched her idea on paper and presented it to her supervisors.

Vesta's supervisors initially dismissed her suggestion. Frustrated by the lack of action and recognizing the urgency of the situation, she wrote a letter directly to President Franklin D. Roosevelt explaining the problem and her proposed solution. She included sketches of her invention.

President Roosevelt immediately recognized the value of Vesta's idea and forwarded her letter to the War Production Board. They quickly saw the potential benefits, and the project was fast-tracked for development and implementation.

The War Production Board tasked Johnson & Johnson with developing the cloth tape based on Vesta's design. The resulting tape, initially called 'Duck Tape' (later Victory Tape), was strong, waterproof, and easy to use. It was a significant improvement over the previous method.