Letter: The Hello Girls need your help
Published: 3 September 2024
By Shanna Hatfield
via the East Oregonian newspaper (OR) website
East Oregonian newspaper Letter to the Editor header image
In 1918, 223 bilingual female Signal Corps Telephone Operators deployed to France to serve as the first American women soldiers actively participating in combat operations during World War I.
Known as the Hello Girls, they were telephone operators who spoke flawless English and French, could fulfill their duties in high-stress situations, and pioneered the use of electronic voice communications to manage combat operations.
The Hello Girls connected an estimated 26 million calls during the war and were a significant factor in the Allies winning. Yet, when the war was over and they returned home, they were told they were “civilian contractors” instead of soldiers. They were denied military benefits, not allowed military burials, and forgotten by history instead of receiving the recognition they deserved.
The United States World War I Centennial Commission is asking for the help of Americans by contacting their senators and representatives and encouraging lawmakers to become cosponsors of bills S. 815 and HR 1572, respectively, and award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Hello Girls.
The Commission has provided a convenient online toolkit at ww1cc.org/hellogirls making it simple to send emails to senators and representatives in just a few minutes.
It is far past time the Hello Girls receive the recognition they so richly deserve.
Shanna Hatfield
Milton-Freewater
Read the original article on the East Oregonian website.
External Web Site Notice: This page contains information directly presented from an external source. The terms and conditions of this page may not be the same as those of this website. Click here to read the full disclaimer notice for external web sites. Thank you.
