[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 175 (Monday, October 30, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6874-S6875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MONTANA'S WOMEN VETERANS OF WWI

 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the hundreds 
of Montana women who honorably served our country during World War I.
  They braved the German u-boats to serve on the frontlines. Women 
cared for the wounded and connected calls to the battlefield offices of 
GEN John Pershing. Without them, the American forces serving in Europe 
could have faced catastrophe. Without them, the course of the war could 
have been much different.
  We shouldn't be surprised. Montana women have been breaking down 
barriers for generations.
  Merle Egan Anderson pressured the U.S. Government for 60 years to get 
the women who worked the Army's telephone switchboards the status of 
``veteran.'' Montanans like Merle Egan Anderson and Lena Roy 
volunteered to be a part of the Army Signal Corps without promise of 
pay, benefits, or recognition of their service. The Signal Corps women, 
nicknamed the ``Hello Girls,'' proved their worth immediately. Merle, 
Lena, and their peers' speed and precision allowed officers to 
communicate across battlefields, enemy lines, and war-torn terrain. 
They served at the frontlines and quickly garnered the respect of the 
men with whom they served. They braved enemy fire and suffered 
casualties among their ranks. Despite their outstanding service, they 
returned to an indifferent government who denied them veteran status, 
including healthcare and burial rights.
  Merle Egan Anderson took on the government, and 60 years later, she 
won. When the government granted the ``Hello Girls'' veteran status, 
only 18 of the 223 women were still alive.
  Nearly 200 Montana nurses entered military service, 86 of whom braved 
enemy submarine-patrolled waters to care for troops on the frontline. 
They came from 56 cities, towns, and forgotten railroad stops across 
the Big Sky State.
  Nurses Elizabeth Sandelius from Cokedale and Harriett O'Day from 
Billings were cited for heroism under fire for their service in France. 
Cora Craig from Glasgow, MT, received a Silver Medal from the King of 
Siam for her care of soldiers from present-day Thailand. Eula Butzerin 
braved the carnage of post-war France to find the battlefield grave of 
her brother Roy, marked only with a stick and his dog tags.
  Thirteen Montana women enlisted in the Navy and served stateside. 
Gertrude Zerr from Chinook achieved the rank of chief yeoman, directing 
fellow yeoman in the naval headquarters.
  During the war, these women proved to their fellow Americans and the 
world that women were an asset in battle. Their service defied gender 
stereotypes and helped changed the tide of public opinion that 
culminated in the 19th Amendment of our Constitution, granting women 
the right to vote at long last. They helped pave the way for women to 
take on combat roles in World War II and beyond.
  After the war, Montana's World War I women veterans faded into 
history. Their service remains largely unknown. These women gave voice 
and power to a nation of women. Their service and actions helped change 
the

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course of history. These strong Montana women were followed by more 
strong Montana women who have carried the fighting torch of equality 
for generations.
  It is my honor to present this legacy today and my privilege to 
represent the past and present women of Montana.
  On behalf of a grateful nation, I commend Montana's women veterans of 
WWI.

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