Ww1 gas mask lineup2/28/2024 ![]() The Hello Girls had finally earned their status as U.S. Her efforts paid off 60 years after World War I ended with the signing of a bill by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. She returned to Montana after her duty was over. Anderson was working in Helena for Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. One in particular, Merle Egan Anderson of Seattle (formally a resident of Helena, Mont.), took the lead to gain the Hello Girls their veteran's status. History records show that throughout the years, the Hello Girls petitioned Congress to receive their veteran status. But they were turned down because regulations addressed males, not females, and there was a consensus that the Hello Girls were more civilian volunteers then military members. Upon returning, they requested their veteran's status, honorable discharges and WW I Victory Medals. ![]() When the Hello Girls call to duty ended in the "war to end all wars," they returned to the states. Many of the Hello Girls, including Grace Banker, worked long after the Armistice. They left, but came back within an hour to man the remaining one third of the switchboards still operational from the attack, according to a recount of the events from Oleda Christides daughter, Michelle. Their barracks caught fire from a bombardment and they were threatened from Chaumont headquarters, via the telephones line they were connecting to the front, with court martial for disobeying orders to leave their switchboards immediately. 26, 1918, they were chosen for a new offensive and reassigned to the front, which at that time, was northwest of Verdun, according to the "Stars and Stripes" account of the events.ĭuring their time at the front, the Hello Girls took on incoming fire like many others soldiers. For eight days, these six Hello Girls worked around the clock handling communications on eight lines. They arrived just in time to be part of the Sept. A small group of six operators (Esther Fresnel, Helen Hill, Berthe Hunt, Marie Large and Suzanne Prevot) led by Chief Operator Grace Banker was sent forward to the front and assigned to the First American Army headquarters. In March, 1918, the first contingent of 33 Hello Girls were sent to France and, like the other Hello Girls that were to follow, they were sent to numerous locations throughout the war. A Chief Operator or "Top" had the emblem with the mouthpiece, the wreath and blue lighting flashes shooting out above the receiver."Īs time went on, different variations (arm patches) of the rank were created in olive-drab green. A Supervisor, who rates as a platoon sergeant, wears the same armband with a wreath around the mouthpiece. An Operator First Class wore the white armband with an outlined blue Telephone mouthpiece. "Their ranks were identified by white Armbands. The "Stars and Stripes" on Maidentified the rank of the Hello Girls as follows: The operators received promotion and carried positions like anyone else in the Army, at that time. As far as insignia, they wore the Signal Corps collar brass of the crossed flags. They wore campaign hats with orange hat cords and also wore the garrison hats. The uniforms of the Hello Girls were navy blue at first, and later they were changed to a version of olive-drab green. Upon graduating from school, they were required to purchase their own uniforms and were issued dog tags and gas masks. The schooling did not pose a problem to the recruits as most of the Hello Girls had been recruited from American Telephone and Telegraph Company anyway and were former switchboard operators. The recruits were sent to Fort Franklin (present day Fort Meade, Md.) for military training, and radio and switchboard operator school, which was taught by commercial telephone companies. More than 7,000 applications were receive but only 450 operators were accepted, according to the U.S. They promptly began an advertisement campaign in all the major newspapers in the U.S. John Pershing acquired permission to recruit telephone operators and he handed the task to the Signal Corp to establish the unit. These women, along with 447 other females, would become the Army's first female combat unit and they were known as the Hello Girls. Names of some of these founding pioneers were Grace Banker, Oleda Christides and Merle Egan Anderson. ![]() This unit, like the Aviation section, was setting precedence that they, too, deserved a place in the defense of the United States and the world. Army Signal Corps, was the birth of another unit. These men set precedence with the leadership of that era in that the Air Army too, deserved a place in the defense of the United States and the world.ĭuring this same year, within the same U.S. Names of some of our founding pioneers were Billy Mitchell, Charles Chandler and Vernon Burge. It was the year 1917 the Air Force was in its infant stages as a member of the U.S.
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