As US troops sailed off for Europe during World War II, their families back home were eager to send letters and packages, but delivering that mail was difficult, and by the beginning of 1945, there were six airplane hangars full of mail in England, millions of pieces that were waiting to be sorted, including Christmas packages that were delayed by the Battle of the Bulge. By then, the packages were being eaten by rats. Other nations had similar backups of mail that had been in limbo for up to two years. The US responded by sending in the the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
The Six Triple Eight, as they were called, were 800 members of the Women's Army Corps, who had volunteered years earlier and had been performing support work. They became the first Black women ever sent overseas by the US military. The battalion was led by 26-year-old Major Charity Edna Adams, shown being served in the image above. They worked 24 hours a day and sorted, censored, repackaged, and distributed that mail in three months, and were then sent to newly-liberated France to do the same.
The women of the Six Triple Eight came home after the war and were mostly ignored. The six surviving members are now over a hundred years old. But their deeds began to be recognized in the 21st century with a monument at Fort Leavenworth, a Congressional Gold Medal, and a documentary. Read about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and their adventures in Europe in their own words at Smithsonian.
(Image credit: United States Army Signal Corps)
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