On December 23, 2024, President Biden signed into law the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA), as P.L. 118-159, which included the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act—bipartisan legislation that was introduced by U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Sam Graves (R-MO), and Sharice Davids (D-KS).
The Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act awards the Congressional Gold Medal to more than 220 American women who served as essential telephone operators with the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I. Known as the “Hello Girls,” the women were the first female soldiers to be officially deployed to a combat zone in American history and were instrumental in the Allied war effort throughout WWI.
Joining recipients like George Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress and has been awarded to only 186 recipients since the Revolutionary War.
The Medal is currently in the design phase. A ceremony will be planned for the Medal to be presented to the descendants of the operators in 2027.
Press Releases:
- A Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls!
World War One Centennial Commission - A century later, the Hello Girls receive recognition
American Legion - AT&T Celebrates the Hello Girls’ Congressional Gold Medal
AT&T
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