Hundreds of women to be honored 100+ years after last battle of WWI
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Hundreds of women who helped allied forces win the first World War are set to be honored more than 100 years after the last battle.
U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO) has announced that President Joe Biden recently signed the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025into law which includes the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act.
“After years of hard work to ensure these patriotic women receive the recognition they deserve for their sacrifice to the country, I’m thrilled that my legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Hello Girls has become law,” said Congressman Cleaver. “As someone whose uncle was a Tuskegee Airman, I know firsthand how important these recognitions are to the families of those who defended our freedom, and I’m thankful that the descendants of the Hello Girls will receive formal appreciation from a grateful nation for their loved one’s service to the United States when we needed them most.”
Rep. Cleaver said he helped introduce the bipartisan legislation with Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO) and Sharice Davids (D-KS) to award more than 220 women who served as telephone operators with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I.
“The Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit, also known as the Hello Girls, played an indispensable role in linking American troops during World War I,” said Congressman Graves. “When General John J. Pershing identified that communication failures were hindering the war effort, he recognized the need for skilled operators. These courageous women stepped forward and served with exceptional honor. However, their contributions were overlooked for many years, and it wasn’t until 1977 that they were formally recognized as veterans. I’m thrilled that we were able to get this included in NDAA and honor their legacy with the Congressional Gold Medal they so richly deserve.”
Known as the “Hello Girls,” the Congressman indicated these were the first female soldiers to be officially deployed to combat zones. They were instrumental in the effort and will now join recipients like George Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“On behalf of the United States WWI Centennial Commission, I want to commend the Congress for moving forward toward righting this century-old wrong by recognizing our first women soldiers with this superb salute,” said Daniel Dayton, Executive Director, United States World War I Centennial Commission. “The Commission also salutes the ‘army’ of Hello Girls descendants, major veterans associations, and volunteers for their unwavering support of this effort on behalf of the Signal Corps women who served in The War That Changed the World.”
Cleaver noted that the Congressional Gold medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. It has been awarded to 186 recipients since the Revolutionary War.
“The women of the WW1 U.S. Army Signal Corps, nicknamed Hello Girls, volunteered to do their bit to support the Doughboys and to save Europe because they had language skills to offer to become bilingual telephone operators for the AEF,” said Catherine Bourgin, Grandaughter of Edmee LeRoux, WW1 U.S. Army Signal Corps. " My grandmother and all her fellow women soldiers changed the course of history for all American women by demonstrating that women soldiers could perform essential military duties as well as, and even better than, their male counterparts and changed the course of modern warfare with their effective management of high-speed tactical communications. During their sixty-year fight for their veterans’ status and benefits, they showed leadership and determination while establishing a foothold for future generations of women to serve in the U.S. military. As a granddaughter of a Hello Girl, Edmee LeRoux, I’m overjoyed to have contributed to the Hello Girls campaign team effort for this once-in-a-lifetime honor of a Congressional Gold Medal. I wish to thank Representatives Cleaver, Graves, Davids, and Mace for their leadership by recognizing America’s first women soldiers with the nation’s highest civilian honor.”
The Representative said that the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators, or the Hello Girls, were recruited by General John J. Pershing in 1917 as the first group of women to hold non-medical positions in the U.S. Army. By the end of the war, the Hello Girls had connected more than 26 million calls in support of the effort.
“I am excited to see the trailblazing Hello Girls being honored with the Congressional Gold Medal,” said Carolyn Timbie, Granddaughter of Hello Girls Chief Operator Grace Banker. “My grandmother, Grace Banker, and all of the Hello Girls have waited long enough for their day of recognition.”
To read the full text of the legislation, click HERE.
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