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U.S. Army veteran and World War I trailblazer Grace Banker acknowledged

GREENWOOD HEIGHTS — Green-Wood Cemetery served as the backdrop on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 26, to grant U.S. Army signal corp. operator Grace Banker her rightful place in the history books.  

Banker led America’s first women soldiers overseas in March 1918 during the First World War. 

70 bilingual women, known as the “Hello Girls,” operated switchboards under battlefield conditions and provided vital communications between the American Expeditionary Forces and the French military, including front-line combat support. 

Banker’s remarkable legacy was honored in collaboration with the United War Veterans Council and Grace Bankers family with the unveiling of a bronze plaque and Army Veteran medallion at her gravesite. 

The event included a procession that started near Green-Wood’s Main Arch and made its way to Banker’s grave, led by an Armed Forces color guard.

There are more than two million women veterans in the United States, making up approximately 10 % of the overall veteran population. However, women were first granted Veterans’ rights in 1977, six decades after World War I and 17 years after Banker’s death in 1960. At the time of her burial, she received neither military honors nor a marker denoting her service to her nation. 

Carolyn Timbie, Banker’s granddaughter, thanked the more than 50 people that attended the ceremony.

“I appreciate you all for allowing me this great honor to share my grandmother’s story with you,” Timbie said. “I am so proud of my grandmother’s service, and I am inspired by her courage, her leadership and strong sense of duty to her country. She was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and an American hero. My grandmother led a legacy that can inspire us all. And at long last her story will forever be remembered by generations to come.” 

Jeff Richman, historian at Green-Wood cemetery, pointed out that today has been a long time coming. “It’s been an ongoing effort to get the Hello Girls recognized, and today is a significant day indeed.” 

Daniel Devine, with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, said, “It’s so great that we can take this moment and bring this kind of recognition to Grace.” 

Devine added, “If I’m a young woman, this is something that is impressive and something I’d like to follow up on. I’d also want to ask myself, ‘What are the opportunities in this country?’”