Federal, State, International Organizations to honor WWI Woman Veteran

Hello Girl Marie Edmee LeRoux was buried in an unmarked Maryland grave

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Military Women's Memorial, and the Doughboy Foundation, will host a dedication ceremony with full military honors of a VA grave marker for WWI veteran Marie Edmee LeRoux on Friday, January 19, 2024 at 11:00 am EST at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, Maryland.  The ceremony is open to the public. 

LeRoux was born in Montreal, Québec, Canada on February 19, 1895.  She served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as a bilingual telephone operator in France during WWI with the American Expeditionary Forces.  She sailed overseas on June 18, 1918, with Unit #4 and was honorably discharged on June 6, 1919.  Known affectionately as the "Hello Girls" the all-female unit connected over 26 million calls from March 1918 to January 1920, including service at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.  However, when the Hello Girls came home after WWI ended, they were denied veteran status and benefits until 1977.

After the war, LeRoux stayed in Paris, France to continue music studies with the famous French-Canadian tenor, Arthur Plamondon.  She returned to the U.S.in December 1941.   LeRoux died on January 9, 1945, and was buried in an unmarked grave at Fort Lincoln cemetery, receiving no VA headstone since she did not have veteran status at that time.

Guest speakers at the ceremony January 19 will include: Tanya Bradsher, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Anthony C. Woods, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs; Daniel S. Dayton, Executive Director of the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission; and Catherine Bourgin, granddaughter of Marie Edmee LeRoux.  Phyllis Wilson, President of the Military Women's Memorial, will emcee the event.

Ambassador of Canada to the United States Kirsten Hillman and Canadian Defence Attaché to the United States Major-General Michel-Henri St-Louis, as well as representatives of the Military Order of the World Wars and the Daughters of the American Revolution, will lay commemorative wreaths at LeRoux's gravesite.

A brass quintet from the Doughboy Foundation will punctuate the ceremony with WWI musical selections.  The Maryland National Guard Honor Guard will provide military burial honors, and a bugler will sound Taps in a replica "Hello Girls" uniform.

"I am ecstatic that all of these organizations are honoring my grandmother," said Catherine Bourgin. "It all happened so quickly. After her being in an unmarked grave for 79 years, I was able to work with the National Cemetery Administration to get an official marker for my grandmother's grave."

"It is an honor to pay our respects to Marie Edmee Leroux with this ceremony," said Dan Dayton, Executive Director of the WWI Centennial Commission.  "We hope there will soon be another honor for her as well.

"The WWI Centennial Commission was created by the Congress to provide advice to the Congress on commemorating the Centennial of World War I.  The Commission has voted unanimously in favor of, and has recommended to the Congress, that they honor the Hello Girls, America's first women soldiers with a Congressional Gold Medal.

"We hope the 118^th Congress will soon pass the Senate and House versions of legislation 'to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, known as the 'Hello Girls.'"  All are encouraged to contact their Senators and Representative to say that they support this legislation that will give Marie Edmee LeRoux and all the other Hello Girls the recognition they earned for their outstanding service in WWI."

For more information about the Hello Girls, the Congressional Gold Medal legislation, and how you can help get the bills passed, please visit https://ww1cc.org/hellogirls.

For more information about the January 19 ceremony, please contact the WWI Centennial Commission by email at [email protected], or by calling (202) 380-0725.

The U.S. World War One Centennial Commission was established by Public Law 112-272, passed by the 112th Congress on January 14, 2013 and signed by the President on January 16, 2013, and refined by Public Law 113-291, Subtitle J, Section 3091.  The Commission is building the National World War One Memorial in Washington, DC with private donations, in partnership with the Doughboy Foundation.  The Commission will sunset after the Memorial is dedicated in 2024. https://ww1cc.org

The Doughboy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia.  The Foundation has as its vision to Keep Faith with the American Doughboy. https://doughboy.org

The Military Women's Memorial honors the commitment, contributions and experiences of the three million women who have served in or with the Armed Forces of the United States since the American Revolution. https://womensmemorial.org

Media contact:
Chris Christopher 
United States World War One Centennial Commission
703-615-1262 
[email protected]  

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SOURCE U.S. World War One Centennial Commission