
On Saturday, October 26, family, friends and supporters of Grace Banker Paddock will gather to dedicate a new marker at her gravesite in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. This marker will commemorate her pioneering military service in World War I as the leader of the first unit of U.S. women soldiers, the telephone operators commonly known as “Hello Girls.”
The event will begin with a procession from the Main Gate at Green-Wood Cemetery to Grace’s grave. At the gravesite, there will be a ceremony to dedicate the marker, including the unveiling of the stone, remarks from speakers, military honors, and a wreath laying. Following the ceremony, there will be a light reception at the Green-wood Modern Chapel.
A reception will be held following the ceremony in the Green-Wood Cemetery Chapel sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project
The tentative timing of the event is from approximately 2:30pm – 5:30pm (including the procession and reception).
The Hello Girls
The Hello Girls were sworn into the U.S. Army Signal Corps as telephone switchboard operators in World War I playing a vital role in the ending of the war. This group of 223 women were the first female soldiers in the U.S. and served with valor operating the telephone systems for the U.S. Army. General John Pershing remarked that their service helped shorten the war by a year.
When these brave women returned home, they were told they had not served in the Army, despite wearing uniforms, taking Army oaths, and previously being told, “You’re in the Army now.”
The Hello Girls fought for more than 60 years to get their veterans status, with more than 50 bills being introduced into Congress that did not pass. Finally, in 1977, bipartisan legislation passed and was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. However, most of the Hello Girls did not live to see the day of this victory; and those who did weren’t given veteran benefits or back paychecks.
Grace Banker
GraceD. Banker (October 25, 1892 – December 17, 1960) served during World War I (1917–1918) as chief operator of mobile for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. She led thirty-three women telephone operators known popularly as Hello Girls. They were deployed to France to operate telephone switch boards at the war front in Paris, and at Chaumont, Haute-Marne. They also operated the telephone switch boards at First Army headquarters at Ligny-en-Barrois, about 5 miles (8.0 km) to the south of Saint-Mihiel, and later during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. After her return to civilian life, Banker and her team members were treated as citizen volunteers and initially not given recognition as members of the military. In 1919, Banker was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for her services with the First Army headquarters during the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives.
Key Participants:
-
- Carolyn Timbie (Grace Banker’s granddaughter)
- Other Banker descendants
- Other Hello Girl descendants
- NY State Dept of Veteran Services Representative
- NYC Dept of Veteran Services Representative
- Dan Dayton, Doughboy Foundation
- Living Historians/Re-Enactors
The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Schedule of Events
Your support for the Doughboy Foundation will help fund our mission in perpetuity, inspiring future generations of visitors and forever honoring our World War I veterans and all U.S. servicemen and women. Donate today →