Today I Learned...

The first female soldiers to serve in the U.S. Army were a unit of 223 women who were sent by the U.S. Army Signal Corps to France during World War I. They were masters of the telephone switchboard and were far more experienced and capable than the young men initially stationed to keep up communications with the troops while under fire. Despite the women’s dedicated service and indisputable contribution to the victory over the Central Powers, the army dismissed them once the war was over and refused to provide them with veterans’ benefits. The women then battled for nearly 60 years against the government and the U.S. Army until they were finally granted their honorary discharge papers and rightful benefits in 1979.

Source: The Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers by Elizabeth Cobbs
Image Source: Beloit International Film Festival