Senate Unanimously Passes Tester’s Bill to Honor the ‘Hello Girls’

The Senate unanimously passed Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester's bipartisan legislation to honor the landmark service of the brave women who connected American and French military forces on the front lines of World War I. This legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.

Tester's Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act would award the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, dubbed the Hello Girls, with the Congressional Gold Medal for their service to the nation and subsequent 60-year fight to be recognized as veterans.

"The Hello Girls risked their lives to protect our nation by leading critical efforts on the front lines that helped our allied forces win World War I," said Chairman Tester. "They took an oath to defend this country, and they were denied veteran status for far too long. I'm proud our bipartisan bill will finally honor these extraordinary women and their service with the Congressional Gold Medal, and I urge my House colleagues to send this bill to the President's desk without delay."

The Hello Girls were recruited after male infantrymen were unable to connect calls quickly and communicate with their French counterparts, delaying the conveyance of critical battlefield information, and slowing the supply lines for those fighting on the front lines. The bilingual Hello Girls were deployed to France to serve at military headquarters and command outposts in the field alongside the American Expeditionary Forces. At the height of the conflict, they connected over 150,000 calls per day, and were invaluable to the war effort. Despite their outstanding service and the military oath they took, they were denied veteran status and benefits when they returned home.

Merle Egan Anderson of Montana led the legislative effort, petitioning Congress more than 50 times,to get proper recognition of their service. In 1977, 60 years after the first Hello Girls took the Army oath, Congress passed legislation to retroactively acknowledge the military service of the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Tester introduced the legislation alongside Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H), and Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). This legislation has received strong support from stakeholders nationwide.

"Today, nearly 50 years after the Hello Girls finally achieved their veterans status, the Hello Girls campaign team is on the cusp of making history on their behalf toward a Congressional Gold Medal with the hope to build on their legacy and to get our ancestors' story finally in the history books for all to know," said Catherin Bourgin, granddaughter of Edmee LeRoux, one of the Hello Girls. "I thank Senators Tester, Moran, Hassan and Blackburn for their leadership by recognizing America's first women soldiers with the nation's highest civilian honor."

"The World War 1 Centennial Commission is pleased that this measure to right the wrong treatment of our first women soldiers is moving forward," said Executive Director of the WWI Centennial Commission Daniel Dayton. "I'd like to thank Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran, and Senators Hassan and Blackburn for their work honoring the service of the Hello Girls."