By February 1945, America had been at war for four long years.
Our military personal, civilians and the Red Cross were sent overseas,
far away from their families and friends.
And their only form of communication back home
was mail call.
But what if letters from home stopped coming?
due to a backlog of undelivered mail.
Army brass understood the importance of mail
and decided to send in a special unit to fix this morale busting problem.
Enter the 6 Triple 8 Central Postal Directory Battalion,
a group of all Black female soldiers with the motto, “No Mail, Low Morale.”
Next on Marking History!
This is the historical monument for the 68-88th Central Postal Directory Battalion,
nicknamed the 6 triple 8, the all Black female members of the Women's Army Corp formed during World War Two.
The monument is located here in the Buffalo Soldier Military Park at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
It features a 25-inch bust of the unit's Commanding Officer, Charity Adams,
the first Black woman officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp.
The bust was created by master sculptor, Eddie Dixon.
Eight black granite panels highlight the unit's lineage,
with historical information, key unit pictures, and a list of the 841 of 855 members during WWII.
Since the dedication, they have found eight additional names.
In February 1945, warehouses in Birmingham, England, were filled with millions and millions
of pieces of undelivered mail and Christmas packages
intended for members of the U.S.military and civilians serving in the European Theater of Operations.
Army officials reported that the lack of reliable mail delivery was hurting morale.
One general predicted that the backlog in Birmingham would take six months to process.
Who would take on this massive task?
IT was up to group of young Black women who wanted to serve while crossing racial barriers.
The 6,888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight",
was an all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps.
The Six Triple Eight had 855 black women, both enlisted and officers, and was led by then Captain, Charity Adams.
It was the only all-Black, all- female WAC battalion that served overseas during World War II.
The group motto was "No mail, low morale".
Despite poor working conditions in a rat-infested warehouse, these devoted servicewomen worked 7 days a week,
24 hours a day in three eight hour shifts
And they achieved unprecedented success and efficiency in solving the military's postal problems.
It is no surprise that they broke all Army records for sorting mail!
With the new tracking system that the Six Triple Eight Battalion created,
the women processed an average of 65,000 pieces of mail per shift
and cleared the six-month backlog of Birmingham warehouse mail in just three months.
This unit provided essential support for the U.S. military in the European theater
by linking service members to their loved ones back home.
By the time the 6888 had completed their mission and left France in March 1946,
they had exceeded all expectations.
And because of their success, it opened up the doors for other Black women in the Army and other military services.
After the war, there were no parades, celebrations or confetti
to honor the members of the 6888 Battalion when they finally came home.
But in 2018, 72 years later, a fitting monument was finally dedicated to those unsung heroes of World War Two.
In February 2019, the US Army finally approved the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, for the 6888.
And in 2021, the US Senate passed legislation to grant a Congressional Gold Medal to the battalion.
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress
as their highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements
and contributions by individuals or institutions.
The House of Representatives is trying to gather enough votes to pass its companion bill and make the award official.
The story of the 6888 Postal Battalion will continue to be an inspiration
to those who aspire greatness through their own achievements.
If history can be taught with stories
they can never be forgotten.
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