I Answered the Call to Volunteer at The Military Women’s Memorial

I began volunteering at the Military Women’s Memorial (MWM) after deciding to participate in my school’s internship program, otherwise known as the Highlander Internship Program (HIP). It was an opportunity for High School seniors to gain real-world experience before heading off to college. To sweeten the experience, we were exempt from final exams. Then, a few days before we graduated, each student created a presentation about their internship to inform others about the opportunity.

I found myself in the perfect position to learn more about not only what my mom had been working on the past few years, but also about the vastly untold history of our military.

Located within Arlington National Cemetery, the Military Women’s Memorial (MWN) sits behind the ceremonial entrance. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation establishing the Military Women’s Memorial, which was later opened and dedicated on October 18, 1997. The interior is a semicircle lined with watercolor paintings of women in the military from every generation. The other side showcases women’s history by each war era. The gorgeous glass ceiling features quotes by famous historic women, along with a rooftop terrace. It was fascinating to walk from one side of the exhibit hall to the other, seeing the leaps and bounds we have made as a society, all thanks to the hard work and perseverance of each woman veteran.

Charlotte Bourgin’s great grandmother Marie Edmee LeRoux was a member of the World War I U.S. Army Signal Corps female telephone operators unit, known as “The Hello Girls.”

One of these women was my great-grandmother, Marie Edmee LeRoux. Edmee served as a “Hello Girl” in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, during World War I. These women were deployed to 75 locations, including battlefronts in France during WWI, under General Pershing’s command. The “Hello Girls” were telephone operators who connected calls and translated between French and English in under 10 seconds per call. We credit these women with hastening the end of WWI and facilitating the speedy exchange of information between our allies and troops. They continued to handle all the calls during the Peace talks, and others served as personal translators for diplomats, and others were part of the occupational forces in Coblenz, Germany.

Sadly, when they returned home, they were told they had not been soldiers and were never truly honored for their bravery until 1977, when President Carter signed the GI Amendment Bill, which finally enabled them to be recognized as veterans. Their next level of recognition came just this past December 2024, when a number of descendants of Hello Girls (including my mom), the Congressional WWI Centennial Commission, the Doughboy Foundation, the Military Women’s Memorial, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and supporters of the “Hello Girls” from all over campaigned for and won a Congressional Gold Medal for the Hello Girls.

When I first arrived at the MWM, I was given a tour by one of the MWM’s historians. As we walked through the beautiful viewing area in the Memorial, hearing the stories of women throughout the years was eye-opening, revealing how women had been treated for decades while they stepped up and served during our country’s times of need. Many women during wartime stepped up to take on roles such as nurses, mechanics, cooks, and test pilots, among others, in vital areas of need. Yet many women were never fully recognized or given the opportunities as their male counterparts.

After my tour, I quickly got to work by helping in any way I could. In one case, this meant hand-making thousands of remembrance ribbons. These ribbons are made for visitors to come and write down the name of a female relative who has served or is currently serving. The yellow ribbons were for those who had passed, and the red, white, and blue for those presently serving in the military. By working on these ribbons, I helped the MWM prepare for Memorial Day weekend, allowing them to focus on other essential tasks and events. There were a few days when I worked on a different type of yellow ribbon, with the help of information provided to us through the HER-Story initiative, which aims to collect the stories of women who have served or are currently serving in the military. I placed stickers with the names of  women veterans onto the ribbons, and every name left me wondering, “Who was she?” “What was she like?” “What exactly did she do during her service?” “I wonder what she did after her service?” “When did she pass?” and “Would she be proud of where we are now?“. One thing that stuck with me was that these women were never drafted, but chose to step up in times of need. They took on a wide variety of roles and exceeded expectations.

Main corridor at the Military Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

During my time, when I wasn’t pondering what these women veterans’ lives were like, I was helping with Honor Flight events and getting to meet those actual women veterans. During my last week, an Honor Flight of women veterans who served in Korea and Vietnam visited. The MWM set up food and tables, and each person received their military service profile book. A few days prior, I had assembled and alphabetized each profile by hand. I then handed them out to the Honor Flight veterans, allowing me to meet each individual and hear their stories personally. Their stories were shared with us through the HER-Story initiative, a database created and organized by the MWM to collect and preserve the stories of women veterans. If you know a woman who served or is currently serving, tell them about the HER-Story initiative. Please invite them to sign up on the MWM website https://womensmemorial.org/herstory/

As my two-week internship came to a close, I knew I wanted to continue volunteering at the MWM. My time there was one filled with a sense of delight; my coworkers, whom I quickly became close to, helped the time fly by with witty jokes and history lessons. My departure was met with immense gratitude from the staff. I left with arms full of gifts and a heart full of knowing I made their jobs just a little bit easier. The atmosphere there was inviting yet serious; walking in, you knew you were there to learn and to help. The Military Women’s Memorial is a non-profit organization, so it relies on people like you and me to volunteer our time and spread the word about its location and mission. So, how will you answer the call?

Charlotte Bourgin

As I pack up for college this summer, I’ll carry this new learning experience with me, along with a new appreciation and understanding for women who served in the U.S. military. My future college campus will be within driving distance of Fort Lee, formerly Fort Gregg-Adams, which is home to the U.S. Army Women’s Museum, where I hope to visit once I settle into my new college routine. I am proud to be a great-granddaughter of one of America’s first women soldiers, a WWI Hello Girl, who answered the call in 1918.

Charlotte Bourgin is a 2025 graduate of McLean High School in McLean, Virginia.

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