U.S. WWI Centennial Commission:Help get the Hello Girls recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal

 

Dear Friend The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, pre COVID, recommended to the Congress that the Hello Girls be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.  There is now a bill in the United States Senate (S 692) to that end which you may wish to support. You may recall that the Hello Girls were the telephone operators who responded to a call from their country to provide bi-lingual telephone services in the theatre of war.  It is estimated that they connected 26 million calls and were a significant factor in turning the tide of the war.  They were denied veteran status from the end of the war until 1977. If you are unable to meet with your Senators or speak to them or their staff on the phone, you can almost always contact them by their website's "Contact" section.  Attached is the latest list updated today of Senators who have and have not cosponsored.  Those Senators who "have cosponsored" are indicated in RED. Simply put your Senator's name in Google for example "Senator Ted Cruz". When his Senate Website pops up there should be a section that says "contact Senator Cruz" or "give your opinion on an issue to Senator Cruz" or something similar. To ensure that only people from his (or her) state contact their senator, they will ask for your name, address, phone number and email. By the way, they can't use this information for fundraising purposes.  Next they will ask you for the subject of your message and then the message. Laid out below is a message that was used to contact our Senators: Subject of the message: To request that Senator XXXXX co-sponsor S 692 - A bill to authorize a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the "Hello Girls" of World War 1 offered by Senator Tester.   Text of the message: In 1917, during World War I, General Pershing put out a call for experienced (and therefore mainly female) telephone operators who were fluent in French to volunteer to be sent to the front to help make communications connections between the thousands of military phones set up across Europe so the allied troops could communicate with each other.  Hundreds volunteered from all across the country.  223 were selected and sent to European Headquarters and the front.  Unfortunately, when they returned home, they were not fully recognized for their service or given veterans status as promised.  Congress created the World War I Centennial Commission to build a national monument (now under construction) and recommend other appropriate actions for Congress to take to commemorate the Centennial of World War I.  The Commission recommended (among other things) that Congress recognize the “Hello Girls” (as the operators became known) with a Congressional Gold Medal.  This is the only recommendation made by the Commission that has not been acted upon.   Such a bill needs 67 co-sponsors to move forward - it now has 39.  Senator XXXXX should help recognize these female volunteers by supporting S. 692, which would authorize a Congressional Gold Medal for the "Hello Girls"!  Please have someone take a look at this bill and report on it to my Senator – Senator XXXXX .    It would be greatly appreciated if you let me know what sort of response you get so that we can keep the attached listing up to date. If your Senator’s name is in red on the attached listing, congratulations, he/she is already a supporter.  If not, please do reach out to them.  Thank you for your support in helping to remember all those who served in the War that Changed the World.  All the best,  Dan   Daniel S. Dayton Executive Director U.S. World War I Centennial Commission Email: Daniel S. Dayton Hello Girls HELLO GIRLS’ CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL SENATE BILL AS OF 10-18-2021 Senators who have not Co-sponsored S 692 are marked in BLUE Senators who have Co-sponsored S 692 “Hello Girls” are marked in RED Senator Tester (the Author) of S 692 is marked in GREEN   Senator's Name State Party Baldwin, Tammy Wisconsin Democratic Barrasso, John Wyoming Republican Bennet, Michael F. Colorado Democratic Blackburn, Marsha Tennessee Republican Blumenthal, Richard Connecticut Democratic Blunt, Roy Missouri Republican Booker, Cory A. New Jersey Democratic Boozman, John Arkansas Republican Braun, Mike Indiana Republican Brown, Sherrod Ohio Democratic Burr, Richard North Carolina Republican Cantwell, Maria Washington Democratic Capito, Shelley Moore West Virginia Republican Cardin, Benjamin L. Maryland Democratic Carper, Thomas R. Delaware Democratic Casey, Robert P., Jr. Pennsylvania Democratic Cassidy, Bill Louisiana Republican Collins, Susan M. Maine Republican Coons, Christopher A. Delaware Democratic Cornyn, John Texas Republican Cortez Masto, Catherine Nevada Democratic Cotton, Tom Arkansas Republican Cramer, Kevin North Dakota Republican Crapo, Mike Idaho Republican Cruz, Ted Texas Republican Daines, Steve Montana Republican Duckworth, Tammy Illinois Democratic Durbin, Richard J. Illinois Democratic Ernst, Joni Iowa Republican Feinstein, Dianne California Democratic Fischer, Deb Nebraska Republican Gillibrand, Kirsten E. New York Democratic Graham, Lindsey South Carolina Republican Grassley, Chuck Iowa Republican Hagerty, Bill Tennessee Republican Hassan, Margaret Wood New Hampshire Democratic Hawley, Josh Missouri Republican Heinrich, Martin New Mexico Democratic Hickenlooper, John W. Colorado Democratic Hirono, Mazie K. Hawaii Democratic Hoeven, John North Dakota Republican Hyde-Smith, Cindy Mississippi Republican Inhofe, James M. Oklahoma Republican Johnson, Ron Wisconsin Republican Kaine, Tim Virginia Democratic Kelly, Mark Arizona Democratic Kennedy, John Louisiana Republican King, Angus S., Jr. Maine Independent Klobuchar, Amy Minnesota Democratic Lankford, James Oklahoma Republican Leahy, Patrick J. Vermont Democratic Lee, Mike Utah Republican Luján, Ben Ray New Mexico Democratic Lummis, Cynthia M. Wyoming Republican Manchin, Joe, III West Virginia Democratic Markey, Edward J. Massachusetts Democratic Marshall, Roger Kansas Republican McConnell, Mitch Kentucky Republican Menendez, Robert New Jersey Democratic Merkley, Jeff Oregon Democratic Moran, Jerry Kansas Republican Murkowski, Lisa Alaska Republican Murphy, Christopher Connecticut Democratic Murray, Patty Washington Democratic Ossoff, Jon Georgia Democratic Padilla, Alex California Democratic Paul, Rand Kentucky Republican Peters, Gary C. Michigan Democratic Portman, Rob Ohio Republican Reed, Jack Rhode Island Democratic Risch, James E. Idaho Republican Romney, Mitt Utah Republican Rosen, Jacky Nevada Democratic Rounds, Mike South Dakota Republican Rubio, Marco Florida Republican Sanders, Bernard Vermont Independent Sasse, Ben Nebraska Republican Schatz, Brian Hawaii Democratic Schumer, Charles E. New York Democratic Scott, Rick Florida Republican Scott, Tim South Carolina Republican Shaheen, Jeanne New Hampshire Democratic Shelby, Richard C. Alabama Republican Sinema, Kyrsten Arizona Democratic Smith, Tina Minnesota Democratic Stabenow, Debbie Michigan Democratic Sullivan, Dan Alaska Republican Tester, Jon Montana Democratic Thune, John South Dakota Republican Tillis, Thom North Carolina Republican Toomey, Patrick J. Pennsylvania Republican Tuberville, Tommy Alabama Republican Van Hollen, Chris Maryland Democratic Warner, Mark R. Virginia Democratic Warnock, Raphael G. Georgia Democratic Warren, Elizabeth Massachusetts Democratic Whitehouse, Sheldon Rhode Island Democratic Wicker, Roger F. Mississippi Republican Wyden, Ron Oregon Democratic Young, Todd Indiana Republican     Thank you for helping to get the "Hello Girls" recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal. Your asking your senator to co-sponsor the bill will go a long way to getting their service recognized in a well deserved and appropriate way. This email was sent to politikimx@gmail.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: The Doughboy Foundation · PO Box 17586 #123 · Arlington, VA 22216