(In 1945, in memory of Joan D'Arc of Roon, France, military personnel from the 6888th Central Postal Battalion participated in the parade. This was the only comprehensive sixth, three- and eight- and three- and three- units that served in World War II. Archive Photos/Getty Images Closed subtitles
The only female unit serving overseas during World War II was on Tuesday after 80 years of winning an incredible organizational feat.
The 68888 Central Postal General Battalion (nicknamed Six Three Times Eight) is a predominantly black all-female unit that was deployed to Europe at the end of the war to deal with the emerging crisis: a backlog of approximately 17 million unpaid mail.
When women arrived in Birmingham, England in February 1945, they were welcomed by several warehouses that reached about 7 million American soldiers and government personnel stationed throughout Europe, many of whom did not receive any letters for months or even years.
According to the U.S. Army National Museum, there are so many emails that a general estimates it will take six months to sort and deliver. However, six third-level eighths - the motto is "no mail, low morale"), which can be done in half the time even in harsh conditions.
After their success in Birmingham and the end of the European war, the department completed similar tasks in Roon, France and Paris. Although members of the department received several medals after returning to the United States in 1946, there was no welcome ceremony or public recognition of its services.
Over the past few decades, the six thirds of stories have attracted attention, including the 2019 U.S. Armed Forces Unit of Honor, a 2024 film and a year-long campaign to win a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award Congress has won.
The Senate voted on legislation to award the award in 2021, and a year later, the House unanimously filed a lawsuit. Then-President Joe Biden signed the bill into law in 2022.
At the time, it was one of two surviving veterans of 855, when Major Fannie McClendon, who retired, retired.
However, due to the time required to design and produce actual medals, the U.S. Capitol ceremony did not appear until recently. Earlier this year, more than a dozen senators wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to arrange medal ceremonies “quickly” and warn of “key points.”
"Today, only two of the six Level 3 eight members are still alive," they wrote. "Those who still survive should no longer wait for those long-awaited recognition that deserves."
In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s ceremony, supporters had more reasons to be more picky about the lack of recognition.
The page about the six triple eight appears to be among the people who are pushing for the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. NPR reported in mid-March that the department’s story no longer stands out on the Arlington National Cemetery website, but it can still be found using the search feature.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said 14 members of the unit were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, while 32 members were buried in cemeteries of national or state veterans across the country.
Since then, the Ministry of Defense has resumed some of its deleted entries. DN.C. Rep. Deborah Ross wrote a letter to Pete Hegseth in early April to request the restoration of all web pages, including six Level 3 eight.
“Eliminating this extraordinary legacy is a serious betrayal of their service,” Ross wrote. “This timing was particularly shocking when the country just began to appreciate the story of No. 688888888.”
The Department of Defense did not respond to NPR's request for comment. The Department of Army that operates Arlington National Cemetery told NPR by email Tuesday that there were no individuals who permanently deleted their rest on their website, only reclassification. Now, the six triple eighth pages are listed as "famous military figures."
Captain Mary Kearney, the United States Army of Women (WAC), and Major charity Adams, the commander of the United States WAC, inspected the 6888th Central Postal General Volume Battalion in February 1945 at a temporary postal service in the West Midlands, England. Archive Photos/Getty Images Closed subtitles
Until the beginning of World War II, black women were effectively excluded from military service, which led to the creation of the so-called Women’s Corps (WAC).
The U.S. Army National Army explained that while the WAC provided women with opportunities for non-combat roles, the segregation policy at the time meant that the black WACS could only account for 10% of the overall strength. It was not until 1948 that the U.S. Army was fully integrated.
The Ministry of Defense said that of the 140,000 women who served in the WAC during World War II, only 6,500 were black.
Black organizations and civil rights figures, such as Mary McLeod Bethune, have pushed black women in the WAC to get the same opportunity to serve overseas. Under growing pressure - the backlog of emails is increasing - the War Department created No. 6888 in 1944.
"They kept complaining about asking us to go abroad, so I think they found something for us to do overseas: take care of the mail," McClendon told the Associated Press. "There are a lot of mails."
The battalion consists of five companies, commanded by the charity Major Adams, who became the highest black officer during the war. While six Level 3 Eights are often referred to as all-black units, it has at least two descendants of Mexican and Puerto Ricans.
After weeks of training, the women sailed to Scotland - when German rockets exploded near the dock, they were forced to run and then took the train to Birmingham to start sorting emails and boost morale.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the battalion was subjected to a dim warehouse and stacked on floor-to-ceiling with unplayed mail, including six aircraft hangars with return Christmas gifts.
They found that the candy package packages for the mice were for soldiers, emails that bounced back as troops changed positions, and a maze of recipients with similar or the same name: The Department of Defense enumerated reports that 7,500 men were named Robert Smith.
The department is divided into three eight hours and works 7 days a week. They proposed a system that involved creating and updating millions of location cards and using the serial numbers and locations of European personnel, looking for clues to attract the intended recipients.
Adams estimated in his 1989 autobiography A Woman Army: A Black Officer Remembers WACthe unit sends an average of 65,000 mails per shift.
In addition to the task at hand, six women of eight-point women faced gender discrimination and racism during their overseas days. According to the National Park Service, they did not allow them to enter local clubs for enlisted soldiers clubs, and Adams boycotted the alternative isolation facilities they provided.
"They decided to run their own food halls, hair salons and refreshments," it said. "These women were slandered by slander, and male soldiers slandered by black women being allowed to join the military."
The Defense Department said some Black male service members mistakenly believed that women in the department had been sent to Europe to provide companionship and they "quickly stood out."
Some of the six third-tier entertainment basketball players were invited to play on an Army All-Star team, but they didn't ask when the army learned about their game. When three members of the unit were killed in a Jeep crash, the War Department did not provide funds for the funeral - the rest of the women themselves collected the money.
After the unit arrived in France, it caught the attention of Black and White Service members, who, as Adams later recalled, suddenly discovered that they had a business in Ruren. "They have to improve safety around the compounds.
With the help of French civilians and German prisoners of war, the force was able to clear mail of similar size in just five months. In October, the downsized unit (which had been released to 300 members by then) was sent to Paris to continue working.
The remaining soldiers were sent back to the United States in February 1946, where they received the European and African Middle East campaign medal, the Women's Army Corps Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.
"The unit was disbanded in Fort Dicks, New Jersey," the U.S. Army National Museum's website reads.
The museum notes that while the six triple eight may not be celebrated with parades or public recognition, their achievements prompted the general board of directors of the U.S. Army European Theater to recommend the “continue use” of female soldiers of color, as well as white, female military personnel… with a proportional force. ”
Before heading overseas in February 1945, the first black WAC members were placed in Sanks, New York in part of Camp Shanks, New York. Associated Press/AP Closed subtitles
Over the past few decades, six Level 3 members (and an increasing number of surviving family members) have gained more recognition for their groundbreaking services.
Some women returned to the UK in 1981 and were honored by the mayor of Birmingham. Adams released her memoir eight years later and was honored by the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum for the next decade. The monument to the unit’s honor was established in 2018 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Their legacy has also been honored by books and films, including a 2019 documentary and a 2024 film directed by Tyler Perry and starring Kerry Washington as Adams.
"These women are fighting for a country that doesn't always fight for them, but they believe in seeds," Washington told NPR's NPR. Morning version In 2024. “They believe in their ability to create important change.”
Washington and Perry said they worked with Lena King, a veteran of the unit, to better understand the experiences of women during the war and why some people were ashamed to discuss their experiences. A Florida woman will attend Tuesday's ceremony that only last year learned of her late mother in the camp, Spectrum News 13 reported.
King died in January 2024 at the age of 100. She was already one of the few surviving units a few years ago, and they could weigh upcoming congressional honors.
"I hope there are more members in the 688888888 membership and I hope I'm still here," she said in a 2022 release in the office of R-Kan Senator Jerry Moran. "It's going to be a wonderful day."