The Six Triple Eight, the sole Black all-female unit to serve in Europe during WWII, will finally get the Congressional Gold Medal on Tuesday after a lengthy struggle to honor its achievements.
While stationed in England, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was instrumental in alleviating a mounting postal crisis; after returning home, the unit became an inspiration to many Black women who aspired to join the military.
The unit accomplished double the anticipated rate of backlog clearance in three months, removing over 17 million pieces of mail. It would then return home after serving in France. Its achievements during WWII were underappreciated, like those of many other Black groups, until recently.
Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley’s family will receive the medal at a ceremony that is set to take place in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center. Among those in attendance will be House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, among others.
Only two women out of 855 who served in the unit are still alive, according to Kim Guise, senior curator and head of curatorial affairs at the National WWII Museum.
The length of time it took for this recognition to occur was highlighted by Guise. “We must honor these women for all that they accomplished and endured while serving our nation in wartime.”
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion’s ladies have finally received the recognition they have been waiting for, according to Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore, who helped pass the bill to grant the medal to the unit.
Democrat Moore told The Associated Press on Monday, “These heroes deserve their dues, and I am so glad their story is being told.” “Recognizing Ms. Anna Mae Robertson and the many others who served with her for their selfless service is an honor, and I am honored to make sure of it.”
The 6888th was bestowed with the highest award by Congress in 2022, which voted 422-0.
Arizona resident and retired major Fannie Griffin McClendon expressed her shock and dismay to the Associated Press following the vote. “I had never considered it before.”
McClendon retired in 1971 after serving in the Air Force following military integration. She made history as the first woman to lead a squadron in the Strategic Air Command that was comprised entirely of men.
At a time when African-American groups were pushing for Black women to be allowed to join their white counterparts in the Women’s Army Corps, the 6888th was dispatched overseas in 1945.
“I guess they found something for us to do overseas: take care of the mail,” McClendon remarked, dismissing the idea that they wanted them to go overseas. Additionally, a tremendous amount of letters was received. They anticipated that we would spend two or three months attempting to resolve the issue. Within a month or two, I believe we had everything sorted out and moving in the correct path.
The 6888th worked nonstop, three shifts a day, processing over 65,000 letters. A system was established to guarantee the delivery of mail by means of locating cards imprinted with the name and unit number of military members.
More and more people began to hear about the unit’s narrative as time went on. The 6888th was presented with the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019, and a monument was built at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to commemorate it in 2018. Documentary film “The Six Triple Eight” chronicles the accomplishments of the unit. Tyler Perry helmed a 2024 Netflix film starring Kerry Washington that was based on the unit.
