During the entire course of World War I, approximately 25,000 American women crossed the Atlantic Ocean to attend to the needs of wounded soldiers and civilian communities in Europe. Women traditionally operated in medical units and helped care for wounded soldiers. Following US entry in the conflict, the newly established Women’s Overseas Hospitals and the American Women’s Hospitals in France drew hundreds of trained nurses to get involved in the war effort. Women’s participation, however, was not limited to the medical field. Female physicians and stenographers brought valuable skills to the front and helped the US military in a variety of domains. In 1918, for instance, the US Army Signal Corps sent 223 trained telephone operators to France to take over from inexperienced soldiers who were struggling to keep general headquarters connected with the troops who were under fire.
At a time when women experienced domestic confinement within their homes, taking part in relief organisations and being actively involved on the Western Front gradually reinforced their quest for equal rights, furthered their political agenda, and strengthened their claim for full citizenship.
