Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army World War II Veteran Yolanda Borrelli Imhoff.
Yolanda served in the Women’s Army Corps with the 1709th Signal Battalion and 9th Air Force. She shared her experiences working as a radio operator during World War II in an interview for the Veterans History Project.
Yolanda decided to enlist when her brother was drafted. She said, “everybody was doing something for the war effort, and it was a natural inclination.” At Midland Radio School she learned how to code, take radios apart and tune them.
She was then sent to Buckingham Army Airfield to supervise a radio station set up to train operators before heading overseas. “They came with this idea that they were sending women overseas. They wouldn’t send you unless you volunteered. So I went and volunteered.”
Yolanda arrived in Scotland on D-Day. She was first assigned to a radio station in Ascot, England before moving across Europe. She recalled the start of the Battle of the Bulge as being particularly intense. “That’s when it really got hard. They put us on 24 hour duty.”
As a Veteran, Yolanda remained involved with the Women’s Army Corps Veterans.
She passed away in 2015.
We honor her service.
Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much of the information as you can put together with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating for how to create the best submission.
Veterans History Project
This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.
Graphic created by Carl J. Valentino: Carl J. Valentino is a student at the University of Delaware with a Major in International Business and a Minor in Graphic Design.
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