The Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers

by Elizabeth Cobbs

In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France to help win World War I. They were masters of the latest communications technology: the telephone switchboard. Top U.S. commander General John Pershing requested female “wire experts” when he discovered that inexperienced doughboys were unable to keep him connected with Allies and troops under fire. Men called them the Hello Girls. They were America’s first women soldiers.

While militant suffragettes picketed the White House, and President Woodrow Wilson struggled to persuade a segregationist Congress to give the vote to all women, an extraordinary cohort swore the Army oath. Elizabeth Cobbs reveals the day-to-day challenges these patriotic young women faced in a war zone where male soldiers resented, wooed, mocked, saluted, and ultimately celebrated them. The first received a baptism by fire as Germans bombarded Paris with their new heavy artillery, Big Bertha. A few followed “Black Jack” Pershing to battlefields where they served through shelling and bombardment. Their brave, impassioned 25-year-old leader won the Distinguished Service Medal.

The Army discharged the last Hello Girls in 1920, the year Congress ratified the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the ballot. When the uniformed operators sailed home, the Army unexpectedly dismissed them without veterans’ benefits. They began a new, sixty-year battle that a handful of undaunted survivors carried to triumph in 1979. With the help of the National Organization for Women, Senator Barry Goldwater, and a crusading young Seattle attorney, they defeated the U.S. Army to win their Victory Medals at last.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Womens, War, World War I, Feminism, Audiobook

370 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2017

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Hello Girls is about a little known part of history. In 1918 the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 woman to France during World War I. They were experts at the latest technology: The telephone switchboard. Without these woman providing communications for even 1 hour the army would have collapsed. These brave woman chose to serve their country despite the fact that woman were not considered full citizens. Woman could not vote, own property, and if they chose to marry a noncitizen they were stripped of their citizenship.

I had never heard of the Hello Girls before coming across this book at the library. It was an interesting read. A bit dry and boring at times. I think it would have been a more inspired read had the author streamlined the story, instead of going off on long unrelated tangents. I still enjoyed it overall, the book ties together The Civil War, Reconstruction, Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, Jim Crow, WWI, The Civil Rights Movement, and the Women's Liberation movement.

I would only recommend to real history buffs.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 bk 217. This book is not named appropriately, well, it is half correct. Half of the book is a description of how the Hello Girls served in World War I. Half of the book is about the women's suffrage movement and, moreso, the equality of women in the workplace, especially the U. S. Military. I wish the title had reflected it. My interest in the book was the Hello Girls, I've had classes and lived 50+ being aware of the need for equality in the workplace.
The Hello Girls were recruited, mostly by Black Jack Pershing, from AT & T's telephone operators. It had been determined through time motion studies that women were the more able telephone operators of the day. Their fingers were more nimble and women were more likely to be multi-taskers, able to remember and repeat more details than men operators were. Most of the women were sworn into the army, despite the hierarchy not wanting to admit them. A core of those women served under battlefield conditions, maintaining their posts despite bombings, fires, and shells being fired through their workplace. One was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal at the end of the war, another received a victory medal and the attachment for the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. I did learn more than I knew starting the book, but I wanted more than just the few women the author focused on. Is there a complete list of all of those who enlisted? Are there more diaries or letters available? For an academic author writing a published book, I still would have liked more information on why she picked the women to follow and why not others. I have added the Hello Girls to my list of American heroines. They were proud of their country and wanted to use their unique skills to help in time of war and let noting stop them.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the service of the Hello Girls, the female telephone operators who served during WWI. The book also covers the suffrage movement, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the sixty-year fight for recognition and benefits after the war ended, along with the changing gender roles within society (based upon class and skin color).

It was definitely well researched, although some language choices had my hackles raising. Most of that was on me, however, as I hate the word "females" when applied as a noun instead of an adjective, because it connotes misogyny, incels and TERFs. There were also heavy strains of white feminism, which were attempted to be addressed but bled through (and some word choices that would have made more sense if the book was published in the 1990s or early 2000s, but not 2017).

Overall, a solid read that delved into an area of history I'm not very familiar in, and Cobbs did a really good job in placing attitudes, actions and events into context. I'd never really thought about it (and it wasn't directly addressed in the book as a cause, but currently living through a pandemic does put some things into perspective), but I wonder how much of the war's end was because of the 1918 flu, in addition to the main thrust of American military power?

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another intriguing look at women who made a contribution in an unexpected role--and weren't recognized for their work. That seems a familiar theme from our history. This documents the eponymous Hello Girls, women who kept the phone lines connected and the generals in touch with their troops in France during WWI as part of the U.S. Signal Corps. Cobbs's well-researched account draws on personal letters and diaries, so the bi-lingual, nimble-fingered telephone operators come across as real people, with personal quirks. Cobbs documents the hardships and successes from training to their work on the battle lines. Although they were sent to war as part of the military, they discovered that didn't entitle them to regular military benefits afterwards. (They eventually won these benefits, but not until decades later.) Cobb examines the big picture of women's suffrage and other women's issues through these examples--and for me, at least, that made the book feel rather discursive and not always on what I thought was the topic. Well-researched, informative, engaging, thoughtful, filled with interesting, even amusing anecdotes.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed that there seemed to be more in this book about obtaining the vote for women than the Hello Girls...although the two do have a close relationship once recognition of the Hello Girls by the Army was so long in coming...and only because of a piece of legislation.

[Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like 3.5 stars? It was an enjoyable enough listen, though the topics tended to meander. They all tied back in some way to the girls, but I wasn't expecting long tangents on suffrage and congressional drama, I guess.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love this book! It tells the story of these remarkable women who ran the switchboards in France during WWI. It's well-researched and authoritative, but it also draws on letters and diaries written by the women themselves, which makes it such a treasure. I've already gone through the bibliography and added several first-hand accounts of women's WWI experiences to my list.

I could hardly get through a few pages without reading some passage aloud to my husband--it's that kind of book. If you're interested in women's history and WWI, this is your next read.

[Cynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine book.
Good information
Good research.
Good use of narrative.
Good description.



General Pershing knew how to think out of the box. He knew that black soldiers could serve honorably and well. In the Indian Wars (Buffalo Soldiers). In the Spanish American War (10th calvary). Into but not in the WWI (AEF). There in WWI, Pershing released the black regiments to fight with the French forces as the Frejch officers were used to working with colonial forces. It was a pragmatic move.

Pragmatics are not always effective. Pershing knew that ATT had found women to be better operators than men, that the women often had better education than most, some spoke French. Pershing wanted women to come replace some of the men operator's, wanted them to be respected from the start, provided some markers of being above enlisted and below officer status officers (yeomanettes), and swore them into the Army.

The Army did not see things the same way as Pershing who had not taken care to make sure that the women were recognized as being soldiers. He was busy. Participating in WWI in a way that brought honor to the US was his priority, not securing the status of women soldiers.

This book Hello Girls tells their story of how they the women served, how they helped win suffrage, and how long it took to be recognized as soldiers of the US Army. Even as they struggled to be recognized, their fight helped other women had lesser fights to be recognized.

This is my last book for my personal study of professional women prior to the passage of the 19th Admendment. (Next yearI read about women in WWII.)

A side note. I volunteer at the local YWCA. I have occassionally wondered why the poster which looks more like this hangs in the snack area. I have found my answer: At the request of the military, the YWCA was asked to house the telephone operators. These posters were generated to support the work of the telephone operators.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting to love this book, unfortunate that it did not come to that for me.

The author relates the story of the women who were called upon to run the telephone switchboards in Europe during WWI. When General "Black Jack" Pershing took control of the forces heading to Europe he found that the men running the telephone switchboards were unprepared for such a a stressful, fast paced assignment. He insisted that actual telephone operators (who of course were all women) were found and sent to Europe.

An advertisement was placed across the U.S. for women operators who were bi-lingual. Women, by the thousands, sent applications, the best of the best were inducted and sent to France to train. These women were a core part of the Army, much like nurses.

At the same time, the U.S. politicians were involved in an ugly battle regarding Women's Suffrage. This too was very interesting, however, for me the author spent way to many pages naming politicians and rambling on and on about them. It became boring and tedious, for me.

I enjoyed the stories of these strong, patriotic women. It is unfortunate that it took more then 60 years for these women to be recognized veterans and receive the the benefits that they deserved. I just wish that this piece of their story had more page time.

This not a war story, for those of you who are tired of those

[Lesley Macdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written read about a little known part of history. The story follows the women who were recruited for the Signal Corps in WWI, and in the process touches on the fight to pass women's suffrage. The fight for suffrage is a bit of a tangent from the main story, but does give insight into the thinking of the time period. I had not realized the link between opposition to giving women the vote and the overt (and accepted by all parties) view that black men should also be disenfranchised. This shocking acceptance of black oppression by the government of this country should be more widely known/discussed.

The book does a good job of explaining the prevailing views of the time - which is very helpful to understanding the context. It makes the bravery of the young women who volunteered even more astounding. It would have been interesting if the author had explored the women's experience of coming home and rejoining civilian life. It must have been exceedingly difficult to go from being respected and valued colleagues to ordinary women. I wonder if the women looked back on that period as the best part of their lives.

Finally, the book covers the Army's 60 year denial of benefits and veteran status to the same women they had sworn into the Army. This is shameful, and exposes the sexism that was deeply rooted in the military, government and society. Thankfully the surviving Signal Corps girls persisted. This was a really worthwhile read, if only as a reminder of how far we have, and have not, come as a nation.

[Elizabeth Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers by Elizabeth Cobbs tells the story of the women who served in World War I. We knew there were nurses, but telephone operators were essential for communication. The telephone infrastructure—wires for lines that helped people keep track of each other during movements, meant not only heavy equipment but also switchboards that had to be used to connect various parties.

Our own legacy of gender segregation meant that operating switchboards had been women’s work in that same way that young men delivered telegraphs. John Pershing, the general who commanded the Buffalo Soldiers, could think outside the box and recognized the need for women telephone operators, preferably those who were bi-lingual in this new war. He issues orders and someone follows them—he wants women operators as well as all the ATT equipment that is shipped to Europe. This book follows the lives of women who were involved, but also looks at the complexity of gender in the larger nation and the military.

The head of the Navy, Daniels investigate if yeoman have to be males, that is not in the law, so the women in the Signal Corps who are part of the Navy were granted rank, rights, and treated as veterans when they are discharged. The Army is another matter, since there is no contract, but an unwillingness to really recognize the labor of women. These Signal Corps women are civilians, even if they were told they were Army. The author hints of fearing a slippery slope, if operators, then canteen workers and many other women would want benefits. They were civilian workers, even if they never signed contracts, but are caught in the war. In the end, they are thanked, some given honors, but not veterans’ benefits and rights. What a story.

Navy women got hospital care and attention, but not those in the Army. This story goes on for decades. The Army denies that these women were “in the Army” so they cannot be discharged. They work with officers who knew their service and via Congress to get compensation. There are many hearings, but the Congressional committees that cover these issues will not let claims and bills go forward. Cobbs cites an internal report from 1926 noting that the War Department considered women “not only unnecessary but troublesome to an Army.” (p. 281). While the Army had used over 100,000 women in various capacities there were never granted military status or recognition. They were recruited in various ways, but those working with them saw them as in the Army.

This battle for recognition took many decades and bringing in new allies as the feminist movement progressed. These aging Signal Corps women were approached by a lawyer, since soldiers who had worked to keep the Russian railroad going were denied compensation and successfully used. Using that model, their lawyer, Mark Hough worked with much support to get Congress to open their eyes. Finally, in November 1977, Jimmy Carter signed a bill and the Signal Corps women could be discharged. I wonder what is gained by denying recognition to people. The denial of their citizenship. Yet, the work of other women is still not acknowledged.

Part of the larger picture is the franchise, as women are fighting for citizenship rights in this era and on the part of some their war service is evidence of earning full citizenship—the vote. Wilson, an early opponent to suffrage, changes as he sees the world is changing and if the US wants to lead, it needs to get on board with this issue. England granted the vote to women, looking at how they were driving ambulances and doing the work of protecting the nation. As we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of passage of the amendment and suffrage for women, we need to remember this part of the story. There was significant opposition for various reasons, like it would give Black women a vote, which is the South, they took away by restrictions on men. Yet, there is opposition from various part of the nation, including Henry Cabot Lodge, who hated Woodrow Wilson.

Wilson’s party is not on board, so there are Democratic losses in the 1918 election. Yet, some states granted the franchise to women, meaning they can vote. So the Amendment easily passes and then has to be ratified by enough states. Yet, Wilson’s vision for a League of Nation does not do as well. Wilson ended the non-alliance that had been part of George Washington’s position and was the first president to travel outside of the US (perhaps during a war). Never my favorite president because of his Jim Crow practices in D.C., it is interesting to see the wider picture.

Cobbs moves between the gender politics on this side of the Atlantic and the war in Europe. Depending on their location, the operators were in harms way or removed from dangers, but their connecting leaders, people on the front, and actually helping to rescue men who were trapped is important. Depending on location, they lived in different condition, those of the front experiencing significant deprivation, which they did with the doughboys.

Like other books telling the story of women in the war, the horrors of war are not understated. The fear and anxiety come through the book. Women were working hard, but also worried about family members who were actually fighting and serving in different ways. There were also thousands of people dying from the flu, including military. I have not been one to read about wars, but that seems to be changing. Cobbs is good in both acknowledging the patriotism of the women and their horror at the reality of war. Of course, there is no attention to Post Traumatic Stress, since they did witness terrible things and lost colleagues. However, they still get to be acknowledged and buried with a flag.

[JoAnna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m torn on how to rate this. It was well written...but not my cup of tea! I enjoyed the parts about the actual “Hello Girls” but could have done without a history on suffrage and Wilson and the war (I understand some parts are needed to recount). I had flashbacks to required military history reading from college- as previously noted, not my thing! Would love to see something done in historical fiction about the girls along the lines of Lilac Girls- that would hold my attention.

[Digne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was almost painful to read. We really haven’t progressed much in 100 years. While I was reading it. The Southern Baptists we’re having a debate about the role of women that sounded as if it was ripped right out of the accounts in this book from the 1910s.

All the same, I highly recommend this book. We need to know our own history.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is brilliantly written about a piece of history almost none of us ever studied or even contemplated much. As the United States finally entered World War I in the spring of 1917, it became rapidly obvious to General Pershing that he needed a more rapid and more reliable way to communicate with the far-flung battlefields in his charge. The nascent radio systems of the day were heavy, unreliable, and anything but private. Infantry men could use the switchboard, but female switchboard operators who worked for the corporations back in the states could connect a call a full minute faster than their infantryman counterpart. That single minute could mean life or death to an entire group of soldiers.

Thus began a partnership between government and the private sector. American women as young as 16 ultimately were recruited to run switchboards for U.S. officers in France. The war department refused to classify these women as actual soldiers, but Pershing thought of them as such. Their presence near a battle zone created its share of headaches, but their absence from a battle zone meant death and confusion at every turn.

The book details the story of these remarkable women, most of whom were bi-lingual in addition to their switchboard specialization. It is the story of women's suffrage and the sad story of justice delayed and denied for these women. Upon their return from the war, they were shrugged off by the war department and essentially kicked to the storage room with the rapidly aging equipment. Not until 1979, with Senator Barry Goldwater at the forefront of the battle, did the women finally get the recognition they deserved as actual soldiers. By then, of course, most of them were dead.

You'll five-star this if you have warm fuzzy feelings toward Woodrow Wilson. I don't have those kind of feelings. I appreciated being presented with a more sympathetic portrayal of Wilson than I had up to now, and while that portrayal was well written, it didn't move my personal needle much. But you ought not let my silly biases interfere with your willingness to read this. The author engages in an economy of words that I found refreshing and compelling. I didn't find myself zoning out for 15 or 20 pages. She moves the book forward with the competence and rapidity of, well, of a female switchboard operator on the battle front.

the audio edition of this is nicely narrated and added to my appreciation of the book. I head the author interviewed earlier in 2019 on the "Ephemeral" podcast, and based on that interview, I knew I had to read the book.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book that described an area of women's history that I was unaware of. During World War I the U.S. Army recruited telephone operators to serve in France. This was one of the few jobs (besides nursing and teaching) that was predominantly female in the early 20th century. At the time all phone calls were routed through switchboard operators, so the women were mainly taken from AT&T employees. (I remember seeing a switchboard on the first floor at my elementary school in the 1960s. The book also mentions that long distance calls in the U.S. had to go through operators until 1970, and I do remember that as well.)

The women who joined the Signal Corps for this were informally known as the "Hello Girls". The book describes how women were enthusiastic to serve as part of the war effort. Although the author mentions political opposition to U.S. involvement due to isolationism and also mentions that Jeanette Rankin voted against U.S. entry in the war because she was a pacifist, the book basically accepts that fighting in WWI was a good thing refers to the Russian withdrawal (treaty of Brest-Litovsk) as perfidious.

Interspersed with the story of the Hello Girls are chapters about the fight for women's suffrage. The author believes that Wilson came to support women's suffrage in part because women were serving in the armed forces. Women were actually enlisted in the Navy ("yeomanettes") and Marines ("marinettes") although the Army was ambivalent about whether the women in the Signal Corps were actually soldiers. After the war, the women were discharged but never received discharge papers. The final portion of the book describes how these women were denied veterans' benefits and the fight to rectify this.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nearly encyclopedic account of women's suffrage and women who served in WWI as telephone operators. Fascinating story of courageous women who were recognized by the military during their service as an indispensible part of the war effort, but denied compensation once the war ended because they weren't acknowledged by the armed forces as enlisted persons.

Many efforts were made to pass legislation to recognize the valuable efforts of these women who served in uniform, often close to the front lines, to maintain optimum communications between front lines and command centers. They were required to speak French and trained for many weeks prior to being sent to France in service of their country. Not until Jimmy Carter was president were their many requests for full recognition as veterans passed into law. By then, many had died due to old age or illness.

I would rate this book 3-1/2 stars. I learned a great deal by reading it even though I found the style of writing somewhat dry.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this history about WWI women in the Signal Corps ("Hello Girls") and learned a lot about women in the military in WWI, women's suffrage, and how they were both intertwined in politics and history. I sniffled my way through the last chapter describing the nearly 60-year fight these women had to gain proper recognition and status as veterans, finally granted in the late 1970s, with many of those who were still alive then well into their 90s. Has this story ever become a movie? If not, it should be.

[Joanna Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven’t generally written many reviews because I’m not particularly deep or insightful and if I like a book, I don’t have much to add other than I liked it. But, when I don’t like a book, I feel the need to clarify because it’s someone’s work and passion I’m pooping on and I feel bad about that. As with the last book I didn’t like, this was a book club pick and not the happy ending fiction I prefer. I’m not a big non-fiction fan and I’m not much of a history buff, so this book had hurdles to overcome and it just didn’t clear them for me. The content was interesting, but it would have made for a nice article or something way shorter. There was just way too much detail for me to plow through. I felt like I was reading a history textbook.

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this isn't a bad book, I'm going to admit that it seemed a little slighter than I expected. A lot of this is probably due to how the author had to offer a lot more background information on the Great War than I really needed, but which the typical reader of this story is going to require. I will admit that I took the most interest in the circumstances that forced the U.S. Army to recruit these women in the first place; the rudimentary (even for the time) French telecom system, the technical requirements, and the need for these telephone operators to be bilingual. With the added complication of operating in near-frontline circumstances, which dignified these women as soldiers, not just civilian contractors. Another actual rating of 3.5.

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so much more than a book about the women operators of the Signal Corp. It was a look at Black Jack Pershing and his strategy for battle in France. It was a mini-lesson on the suffrage movement and the political wheels that kept it from passing. Definitely worth the read.

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

In World War I, the telephone played an important communication role, and women were the only ones who could work the system. They were recruited into the Army and performed admirably, but when the war was over, no-one would recognize their service. Oh, my.

[Dlmrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+

[Lisa V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be an interesting read, but this is definitely more of a non-fiction writing of what happened, as opposed to a good story. There is a significant amount of history included in the book regarding women's suffrage and World War I. I read this in a book club, and most of the other ladies felt the book did not have enough of a story to follow that one could get in too. I agree with that assessment, however, I did appreciate the historical background to put the issue of the right to vote into perspective.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much from this Book!
I was surprised with how much I learned, considering I thought I knew the history of women’s suffrage... surprise, nope!
Thank you for this book

[Paul Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Amazing history of AMAZING women of WW1. I saw the play based on this story and was blown away. These courageous, patriotic women helped win the war. They also helped win the right to vote.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1918, General John J. Pershing requested that he be sent women switchboard operators to facilitate communications between American headquarters and soldiers in the field. Turns out, Doughboys couldn't handle the volume of calls or the pressure of getting all calls to their proper commander or trench, not to mention translate French messages to the American front. These volunteer women became known by the Army as the Hello Girls. There were 223 women who served with honor in France and another group of 80 who were poised to join them at the time of the armistice. After the war, these women veterans found themselves denied any sort of benefits, down to and including the right to be buried in a flag draped coffin in a military cemetery. While the Marines and the Navy honored their women vets, the Army refused for fifty years.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading (not audio) this about 6 months ago, got half way through & lost interest in it. But recently I got it on audio & started over..........what a difference!! SO interesting! I do very well with audio books! I learned a lot of over all history plus it followed the career of several "Hello Girls" which made it more personal. My grandfather was in the Marines in WWI it was easier to imagine him being there.

[Peter Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers,” by Elizabeth Cobbs (Harvard, 2017). Fascinating. Again: fascinating. A history completely unknown to me, and probably almost everyone else. One of the most important elements of the American participation in World War I was the “Hello Girls,” a few hundred female telephone operators who ran the switchboards that enabled the American Expeditionary Force to function. They were called “girls,” because that is what they were called. The operators were women because men couldn’t do the job. Women could handle all the confusion, the speed and detail required. Most of the ATT telephone operators were women in the US. The women were set up in small units. They received military training, were sworn in, wore uniforms, had ranks, saluted, were considered soldiers by everyone who dealt with them. They turned out to be essential, allowing military commanders to communicate quickly and clearly over the hundreds of miles of sprawling, devastated battlefields. The nation was going through immense changes at the time. The war forced or sped up America’s change from a very decentralized country with a small government that did very few things to the massive institution we know today. Part of the change was the push for women’s suffrage. The US was already well behind the rest of the Western world, where women had the vote in many places. The major force against suffrage in the US, besides what we now call ingrained sexism, was racism: the South did not want black women to get the vote, even though they knew Jim Crow and violence would prevent them from actually voting. Every time suffrage came up, it was defeated. In Congress; in referenda; in the states. Meanwhile, the Hello Girls were recruited (volunteers all), mostly middle and upper middle class, educated, required to be bilingual (they had to interact with the French telephone system). The country was fascinated, and followed their training and deployment closely. The women apparently found all this a great adventure; after months of delay, they were finally sent overseas, experiencing the discomfort and fear of an ocean crossing over submarine-infested waters. Finally they were put to work. Gen. Black Jack Pershing was a great fan; he wanted them up close to the front. In the last months of the war, when the Americans at last began to fight, the women were right there, through the mud and cold and bombardments. They won medals for courage. They performed yeoman service. And when they got home, it turned out that they had never been soldiers at all; the Armuy declared that they were civilians, not eligible for bonuses, for veteran’s benefits, for compensation for the uniforms they were forced to buy. It didn’t matter that everyone who served with them knew they were soldiers, or that the generals themselves fought for their recognition. The Army bureaucracy would not budge, and Congress would not help, despite decades of lobbying and effort. The Hello Girls were not recognized as soldiers until the Jimmy Carter presidency! A very well-written book, clear, detailed, language dispassionate, but story told right up to the election of that troglodyte Trump. Good to know.

http://elizabethcobbs.com/the-hello-g...

[Edward Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for research. Cobbs doesn't seem to have as much research on these incredible women as she would like to and pads much of this book out with an overview of World War I. But then Cobbs had a relatively impossible task: depict a forgotten group of women (in this case, the telephone operators) from more than a century ago and try to transform their lives into a meaningful narrative.

[etherealfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library Hardcover