COMMUNITY
THE AMAZING WOMEN OF THE 6888TH CENTRAL POSTAL DIRECTORY BATTALION WRITTEN BY HEATHER FRENCH HENRY, MDES. | COURTESY PHOTOS I n honor of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, a law enacted in 1948 permitting women to serve as full members of the U.S. armed forces, it’s more important than ever to shed light on a very special group of women who played a significant role in WWII. This amazing group of women were the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black battalion. At the height of WWII, the warehouses overseas were filled with millions of pieces of mail intended for members of the U.S. military, U.S. Government personnel, and Red Cross workers. Among the letters were also undelivered Christmas packages adding to the already massive backlog. With the creation of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps (WAC) in 1943, leaders such as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Mary McCloud Bethune championed the addition of Black women. Initially a battalion of 817 enlisted personnel and 31 officers, Black women from the WACs and the Army Air Corps became designated as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. They were nicknamed the “Six Triple Eight.” On February 3, 1945, the first contingent of the battalion sailed for Britain. They traveled by train to Birmingham, England. A second contingent arrived in Birmingham from Scotland fifty days later delivering exemplary service to our troops and service organizations during World War II. A long looked over history of service was finally recognized publicly in 2009 at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Among those who served in the 6888th were 18 Kentucky women including Henrietta Adams and Emma Brock of Lousiville, Kentucky. Be on the look out for the new Netflix movie about the 6888th by Director, Tyler Perry!
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