Tester to play Daily Taps at National World War I Memorial

Event will honor legendary female World War I telephone operators, nicknamed the Hello Girls, America’s first women soldiers

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and descendants of the U.S. Army “Hello Girls” will participate in a special Daily Taps ceremony on Monday at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Hosted by the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation, the event will honor the legendary female telephone operators, nicknamed the Hello Girls, of World War I — the first women to officially serve in the U.S. Army.

Daily Taps is sounded every day at 5 p.m., rain or shine, at the National World War I Memorial. However, this performance will be unique, as it will be co-played by Tester, who is a skilled musician, and by a female bugler, Amy McCabe, who will be dressed in the uniform of a Hello Girl. Like all Daily Taps, this dual performance can be viewed live online at doughboy.org.

In 1917, the Army needed people to serve as telephone operators for newly arriving American Expeditionary Force troops in France, so they recruited some 240 American women, for their skills in the budding telephone technology and fluency in the French language. They deployed in March 1918 and served through the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

These operators played a critical communication role in the war, patching through some 26 million calls. Yet they were denied veteran status and benefits by the U.S. government after they returned home — and for 70 years after their service — simply because they were women. This issue was eventually corrected by Congress in 1977, after 23 legislative attempts.

Tester is an original co-sponsor of the bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Hello Girls. The legislation has the support of some 49 co-sponsors in the Senate and 90 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, as well as The American Legion.

“I learned about service and sacrifice playing taps at the funerals of World War I and World War II veterans in Montana as a kid, and I’m honored to play it again with advocates from the Doughboy Foundation, a group that honors those who served during World War I, including the ‘Hello Girls’ of the U.S. Army Signal Corps,” said Tester, who serves as chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “The Hello Girls risked their lives protecting our nation and helped our allied forces win the war, blazing a new path for women in the military. I’m proud to sponsor the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor their service and fight for recognition.”

Read the entire article on the American Legion website here:

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.