WASHINGTON (AP) — The one Black, all-female unit to serve in Europe throughout World Struggle II, referred to as the “Six Triple Eight,” was honored Tuesday with the Congressional Gold Medal, following a long-running marketing campaign to acknowledge their efforts.
The 6888th Central Postal Listing Battalion was credited with fixing a rising mail disaster throughout its stint in England and, upon their return, serving as a task mannequin to generations of Black girls who joined the navy.
They cleared out a backlog of about 17 million items of mail in three months, twice as quick as projected. The battalion would go on to serve in France earlier than returning house. And like many Black items throughout World Struggle II, their exploits by no means bought the eye afforded their white counterparts — till now.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson introduced the medal to the household of the unit commander, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, throughout a ceremony in Emancipation Corridor on the Capitol Customer Heart. Greater than 300 descendants of the ladies who served within the battalion had been in attendance.
“This ceremony displays one of many highest and most cherished traditions of our republic, one which’s roots stretch again all the way in which to Basic George Washington,” Johnson mentioned.
“The Six Triple Eight are nice American patriots, loyal to a nation that, for much too lengthy, did not return the favor. And I’m glad to say that’s altering, and we’re doing that right here at present,” he mentioned.
Stanley Earley III, the son of the battalion’s commander, was among the many audio system on the ceremony. He known as the ladies who served “true examples of American excellence.”
“These troopers exemplified willpower within the face of adversity and demonstrated the power to transcend what was regarded as attainable,” Earley mentioned.
The 6888th was despatched abroad in 1945, a time when there was rising strain from African American organizations to incorporate Black girls in what was known as the Girls’s Military Corps, and permit them to affix their white counterparts abroad.
The 6888th toiled across the clock, processing about 65,000 items of mail in every of the three shifts. They created a system utilizing locator playing cards with service members’ names and unit numbers to make sure mail was delivered.
“I don’t know if any of the letters between my mother and pa handed by way of the palms of the Six Triple Eight, however I do know that the work they did made it attainable for tens of millions of younger males like my dad to maintain up the battle,” mentioned Sen. Jerry Moran, who recounted assembly 5 of the battalion members in 2018. Moran, a Republican from Kansas, co-sponsored the medal laws within the Senate.
“When these girls returned house, there was no parade to greet them. Nobody lined the streets to thank them for his or her service. That ain’t proper. And we’re attempting to right it at present,” Moran mentioned.
The unit’s story has gained wider recognition lately. A monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A documentary “The Six Triple Eight” was made about their exploits. In 2024, Tyler Perry directed a film for Netflix in regards to the unit, starring Kerry Washington.
The Senate voted to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest honor, on the 6888th in 2021, and the Home adopted in early 2022. Reflecting vast bipartisan assist, leaders of each events spoke at Tuesday’s ceremony.
Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored the laws to award the medal, known as the popularity lengthy overdue.
“This ceremony is a becoming finish to an extended journey to be sure that we don’t neglect their service,” mentioned Moore, who represents one of many two dwelling members of the battalion.
“They did it for the love of nation. And the story reminds us a lot that whereas there’s a lot that divides our nation at present, there’s much more than joins us collectively, like a dedication to service, a dedication to doing one thing greater than your self, to stay and volunteer, to enter service in a conflict zone, even within the face of segregation at house,” Moore mentioned.
The AP spoke with one of many girls who served within the battalion, Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, after the congressional vote in 2022. McClendon joined the Air Pressure after the navy was built-in and retired in 1971. She was the primary feminine to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command.
“It’s overwhelming,” McClendon mentioned of the medal. “It’s one thing I by no means even thought of it.”
