Known as The Six Triple Eight, The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was established in 1944 to deliver mail to American troops, government personnel, Red Cross and other volunteers abroad in England.
With American men serving abroad, there was a myriad of roles that needed to be filled including administrative. The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) of the U.S. Army was originally created as a volunteer division in 1942 until a law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 1, 1943 made it fully incorporated. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights leader Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune successfully advocated for the admittance of Black-American women as enlisted personnel and officers in the WAC, although as in the rest of the Army, segregation prevailed. After several units of white women were sent to serve in the European theater, Black-American organizations pressed the War Department to extend the opportunity to serve overseas to African-American WACs. In late 1944 the Oglethorpe, Georgia trained Black American women were given the opportunity to travel and serve overseas.
Because of the nature of the war in Europe the mail was backlogged. Airplane hangers held many undelivered packages, and a constant stream of mail coming in with many common names made it virtually impossible to sort or get caught up on. Service Members were complaining about not getting expected mail/packages from home so something needed to be done to resolve the issue.
The Six Triple Eight battalion worked in long shifts seven days a week and created a brand new tracking system for the mail they received. Rather than accomplishing the sorting of mail in the projected six months, the recruits blew through the task in three months time.
The Six Triple Eight women a great impact on women and black history.
Sources: history.army.mil; The Archive; Chicago Sun Times; History.com; Women of the 6888th
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