Chief Operator Renee Messelin was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 12, 1890. She was the daughter of Mack and Mamie (Park) Caldwell, a prominent African American couple. Mr. Caldwell was born in North Carolina, and married Mamie Park in Texas, which is where she had been born. Their third child, Ellarane Yvonne Caldwell (her birth name), grew up in Chicago and attended Hyde Park High School. She graduated in 1909 and began work as a teacher.

Ellarane had a brief marriage to Mr. Arthur Brehm in Ohio, although she was soon back in Chicago, living with her parents. She then married Maurice Messelin in 1913 at Grace Presbyterian Church. Since Maurice was a French citizen, she lost her American citizenship under the 1907 Expatriation Act. About this time, Ellarene took the name “Renee” and likely began passing as white. {During the time of Jim Crow, light-skinned African Americans would sometimes make the difficult decision to step away from their community and craft a new, white identity.) The couple lived in Spokane for a short time, near his mother, brother and sister-in-law. By 1916, they were in California and their marriage ended in divorce.

When she applied to join the Army, Ms. Messelin was living in San Francisco. She claimed French birth, likely knowing that had she admitted that she was African American, she would not have been allowed to join the unit.

Ms. Messelin was assigned as a supervisor, being a proficient operator and an accomplished linguist. Assigned initially to Paris, Ms. Messelin was later assigned as Chief Operator in Brest, likely to help to organize the redeployment of troops after the Armistice. She returned to the States in September of 1919. She then married Sergeant Major Edward Van Gundy, a fellow soldier. This marriage returned her American citizenship. The couple moved to Denver, Colorado, although this third marriage also failed.

Her fourth and final marriage was to Mr. Robert S. Arthur in 1927. Over the years, she continued to maintain that she had been born in France, specifically in Marseilles. Mrs. Arthur took to the stage, starring in several movies. As “Renee Rodier,” she also performed in various radio plays. When the couple moved to Florida, Renee retired from acting. They stayed together until Robert’s death in 1969.

Ellarene Yvonne Caldwell Brehm Messelin Van Gundy Arthur, also known as Renee Rodier, passed away in Florida in 1977. The myth of her French birth followed her to the grave, and her true heritage was discovered in 2024.

By claiming a French heritage, she was able to serve in the US Army and to perform on stage. This new life likely exacted a price. She may have never seen her birth family again. Renee took control of her story and of her life, in a time when African American women had few options. She is the first documented African American woman to serve overseas in the U. S. Army.

Her cenotaph (“In Memory Of” marker) was installed at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery near her hometown of Chicago in 2025.

(c) 2026, Diane Boettcher