We Are So Close: Help Award a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls

We Are So Close: Help Award a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls

Author: Mike Cunha October 11, 2024 Duration: 1:01:39

Following up on a podcast discussion we had last year to help the push to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the US Army's Hello Girls of WW1, we have good news:

 

We are so close to reaching the numbers we need!

 

The Hello Girls of the WW1 US Army have never been officially recognized for the groundbreaking service they provided as America's first women soldiers. In this call to action, an incredible group of people come back on to talk about why the Hello Girls should receive the Congressional Gold Medal. 

 

Joining us are:

 

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, representing Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, and the  original sponsor, H.R. 1572 Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023:

(https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1572/text)

 

Dan Dayton, Former Executive Director, U.S. World War I Centennial Commission

 

Catherine Bourgin, granddaughter of Hello Girl Marie Edmee LeRoux 

 

Carolyn Timbie, granddaughter of Hello Girls Chief Operator Grace Banker

 

Chris Christopher, Captain, USN (Ret.), US WW1 Centennial Commission

 

Diane Boettcher, Captain, USN (Ret.), genealogical researcher 



Support a Congressional Gold Medal for the WWI Hello Girls! Instructions are here:

 

https://ww1cc.org/hellogirls

 

US listeners, email or call your Congressional Representatives today!



The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast

 

Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter at @WW1podcast, the Battles of the First World War Podcast page on FaceBook, and on Instagram at @WW1battlecast. Not into social media? Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com. Please consider reviewing the Battles of the First World War Podcast on iTunes.

 


Hosted by Mike Cunha, Battles of the First World War Podcast is a dedicated exploration of the Great War’s defining confrontations. Each episode focuses on a single battle, moving beyond dates and maps to examine the intricate decisions, tactical realities, and human experiences that shaped these events. Cunha’s approach is to unpack the how and why, piecing together the sequence of command choices, logistical challenges, and frontline conditions that led to each clash’s outcome. Within this framework, the podcast gives voice to the individuals-soldiers, nurses, officers, and civilians-whose personal stories are woven into the larger narrative of this titanic twentieth-century struggle. Listening feels less like a lecture and more like a detailed, respectful reconstruction, where the scale of history is measured in both grand strategy and individual courage. For anyone seeking to understand the First World War beyond the textbook summaries, this series offers a thorough and compelling audio journey into the battles that changed the world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Battles of the First World War Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Meuse Argonne - Black Jack, Pt 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:00
The second of a two-episode look at the Commander-in-Chief of the AEF, GEN John J. Pershing, from the personal to the professional. Robert J. Laplander and I collaborated on creating an audiobook version of his book "Fin…
Meuse Argonne - Black Jack, Pt 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:59
The first of a two-episode look at the Commander-in-Chief of the AEF, GEN John J. Pershing, from the personal to the professional. Link to Roger Steward's upcoming book: https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/re…
A Christmas Gift to a Great Friend: Jake Interviews Mike [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:13
This episode doesn't have too much to do with the First World War, but it was really fun to do. My great friend Jake has been asking me to do this for a while, saying that the BFWWP community doesn't know enough about me…
"In the Footsteps of a Poilu" with Alex Lyons [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:21:10
Great War historian and writer Alex Lyons joined me on an evening in the UK to let us into a very personal and ground-level account of a French soldier in the First World War: through the letters of his great-grandfather…
Meuse Argonne - Breaking the Kriemhilde Stellung, Pt 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:56
After a day of mixed success, the 42d "Rainbow" Division fixes its sights on taking the Côte de Chátillon. The hill is yet another link in the German defensive line that must be broken in order to advance. Villages of no…
The New "WW1 Italian Front: Isonzo" Video Game with Creator Jos Hoebe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:03
Join us for a great discussion with Blackmill Games' CEO Jos Hoebe on their latest WW1 video game, "WW1 Italian Front: Isonzo." Jos takes us through his creative process and the research that goes into the games he and h…
Meuse Argonne - Breaking the Kriemhilde Stellung, Pt 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:48
October 14th, 1918, the AEF launched yet another attempt at smashing through the third German position in the Meuse, the Kriemhilde Stellung. The 42d and 5th Divisions would attempt a double envelopment while the 32d Div…