{"id":28972,"date":"2018-07-05T14:57:11","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T14:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/05\/ignored-for-decades-wwi-heroines-could-be-recognized-with-congressional-gold-medal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:40:03","slug":"ignored-for-decades-wwi-heroines-could-be-recognized-with-congressional-gold-medal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2018\/07\/05\/ignored-for-decades-wwi-heroines-could-be-recognized-with-congressional-gold-medal\/","title":{"rendered":"Ignored for decades, WWI heroines could be recognized with Congressional Gold Medal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Hundreds of women who played a key role in coordinating American and French efforts in World War I<\/a> but spent decades without full recognition of their work could soon be honored with Congress\u2019 highest civilian award<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this week, a pair of senators introduced new legislation to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on the so-called \u201cHello Girls,\u201d<\/a> a group of more than 400 women connected to the U.S. Army Signal Corps who worked as switchboard operators at command outposts in Europe during the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women\u2019s work required them to be bilingual and serve as a go-between for the allied forces as they fought on the front lines. But it took more than 60 years after the war for the U.S. government to formally recognize them as veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Hello Girls stepped up to the plate and got the job done, and they played an important role in our nation\u2019s history,\u201d said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who is co-sponsoring the bill with Montana Democrat Jon Tester. \u201cThey pioneered the way for female veterans, and like all of our nation\u2019s service members, they should be recognized for their bravery and contributions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n