Around 850 Black women served in England and France in the U.S. Army’s 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, commanded by Major Charity Adams. The “Six Triple Eight” redirected mail to U.S. troops, a crucial contribution to troop morale. After the D-Day invasion, the Red Ball Express, a cargo service operated primarily by Black troops, carried over 10,000 tons of supplies each day in summer and fall 1944.
Seventy-seven years after World War II, the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve in Europe during the conflict is set to receive one of the United States’ highest civilian honors. On March 14, reports Deborah Bailey for the AFRO, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Details of the formal award ceremonies have yet to be finalized.
– David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, All-Black, All-Woman WWII Unit Awarded Congressional Gold Medal