Marie Edmee LeRoux was born on February 19, 1895, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island where she studied music.  Along with 222 American and Canadian French-speaking women, she answered General Pershing’s call for women to serve as U.S. Army Signal Corps Telephone Operators overseas in France, known affectionately as the “Hello Girls.”  

LeRoux sailed overseas with Unit #4 from the Port of Embarkation in Hoboken, New Jersey on June 18, 1918, on the USS Lapland to France.  She was discharged from service on June 6, 1919.    She decided to resume her music studies and lived her life in France until December 1941…when she returned home to the United States for the last time.  LeRoux died on January 9, 1945. 

From March 1918 to January 1920, the “Hello Girls” and the U.S. Army Signal Corps connected over 26 million calls.  They served at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and the occupation of Germany. They swore Army oaths and wore Army uniforms.  They played a critical role in WWI especially the battle of the Meuse-Argonne.  When they returned home, the “Hello Girls” were denied Veteran status for 60 years until President Jimmy Carter signed legislation for them to be recognized as Veterans.  Less than 20 were still alive.  With her “Hello Girl” sisters-in-arms, Marie Edmee LeRoux was one of America’s first female soldiers.  

In March 2023, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO-05) submitted companion legislation (S. 815 and H.R. 1572) for the Hello Girls to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian award from Congress.

*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. 





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came across her obit and history looking at va benefits.....i was honored to read about her service and decorations....God bless you sweet lady always....


Hello Marie Edmee,

Thank you for your service and devotion to our country during WWI.  You were an intrepid soldier and lived an extraordinary life.  In 2018, I made a documentary about your Signal Corps Female Telephone Operating Unit entitled "The Hello Girls."   

The documentary has screened throughout the world and across the United States at film festivals and famous venues such as the Military Women's Memorial, National Archives and the National WWI Museum in Kansas City.  In November 2018, 100 years after you and the 222 women served in France, several of us returned to Chaumont to screen the documentary at General Pershing's former headquarters.  It was a grand return.  

In 2023, two Senators sponsored the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act, the nations highest civilian award.  We hope that this year the Hello Girls will receive that award.

Thank you for everything.

Sincerely, James Theres

M EDMEE LEROUX SEBASTIEN

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