I spent a wonderful afternoon on Sunday, May 25, at the Museum of the United States Army, celebrating the "Hello Girls" — the female telephone operators who served in the U.S. Army during World War I.
It took 60 years for the Army to recognize them as veterans — a tragic delay. But over the past decade, their service has finally begun to receive the recognition it deserves. At this commemorative event, a beautiful new plaque was unveiled, accompanied by a moving performance by U.S. Army musicians.
Many thanks to historian Diann Smith for organizing the event, and to the Doughboy Foundation, the U.S. Army Museum, and many others — including two Hello Girls’ granddaughters, filmmaker Jim Theres, and my good friend Colonel Linda Jantzen (retired). Their dedication to securing the Hello Girls’ rightful place in American military history is truly inspiring.
From 2013 to 2015, I had the privilege of professionally telling the story of the Hello Girls at various venues across the country, including at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.
It’s wonderful to see how far their story has come in the past decade.
