The only black, all-female unit to serve in Europe during World War II, often referred to as the "Second Six and Three Eight" will be awarded a Congressional gold medal on Tuesday, after a long-term campaign to honor their efforts.

The 688888 Central Postal General Battalion was considered to resolve the growing mail crisis during England and, upon its return, became a role model for generations of black women who joined the army.

They cleared a backlog of about 17 million emails in three months, twice as much as expected. The battalion will continue to serve in France before returning to its homeland. Like many black units during World War II, their loopholes have never been noticed until now.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and others will present medals to the family of Lieutenant Colonel Adams Earley, commander of the unit, during a ceremony planned for the Lieutenant-General of the Capitol Visitor Center.

Kim Guise, senior curator and director of curator affairs at the National World War II Museum, said there were only two women in the 855 residency women serving in the department.

“It really shows how long this recognition takes,” Gith said. “It’s very important to recognize the achievements of these women and everything they serve the country during the war.”

Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, co-sponsored the legislation to award the 6888th Central Post Catalog Camp medal, which he called was an overdue honor for women in the unit.

"These heroes deserve their dues; I'm glad their story is told," Democrat Moore told the Associated Press on Monday. “I am particularly honored to ensure that my constituent, Ms. Anna Mae Robertson, and many others who served with her are recognized for their selfless service.”

In 2022, Congress voted 422-0 for the highest honor in No. 6888.

“It’s overwhelming,” Major Fennie Griffin McLendon, who lives in Arizona, told the Associated Press after the vote. “It’s something I never even thought about.”

McClendon joined the Air Force in 1971 and retired. She was the first woman to use Strategic Air Command to command an all-male squadron.

No. 688888 was sent overseas in 1945, an increasing pressure on African-American organizations to include black women in the so-called Army Corps of Women and to allow them to join white people overseas.

"They've been posting the idea that we want us to go abroad, so I think they found something to do overseas: take care of the mail," McClendon said. "There are a lot of mails. … They expect we'll be there for about two or three months trying to straighten it. Well, I think about a month, a month and a half, we've all figured it out and headed in the right direction."

There are about 65,000 emails in the 6888888888888888888 emails. They created a system using a location card with service member name and unit number to ensure mail is sent.

Over the years, the department’s story began to gain wider recognition. A monument was established in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2018 to commemorate them, and the 6888 Monument was awarded in 2019. In 2024, Tyler Perry directed a film about the department for Netflix, starring Kerry Washington.

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Associated Press writer Michael Casey contributed to the report.