Black Female Unit That Served During WWII Will Receive The Congressional Gold Medal
The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was an all-Black woman unit that served during WWII in Europe. They will now receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
According to USA Today, the Senate passed the legislation last year and now the House voted 422-0 on Monday (Feb. 28) to recognize the unit. Known as the Six Triple Eight, the 850 members routed mail for millions of American service members and civilians. The unit began in 1945 and processed over 17 million pieces of mail, which was crucial for soldiers to communicate with loved ones. They were subjected to segregated facilities and dealt with racism from their white colleagues. Nonetheless, their motto was: “No Mail, Low Morale.”
Only six of the unit members are still living, USA Today reports.
Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, 101, said about the honor, “It’s overwhelming. It’s something I never even thought about it.”
Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, who sponsored the bill after being contacted by the daughter of Anna Mae Robertson, one of the members of the unit, said in statement, “The Six Triple Eight was a trailblazing group of heroes who were the only all-Black, Women Army Corps Battalion to serve overseas during World War II. Facing both racism and sexism in a warzone, these women sorted millions of pieces of mail, closing massive mail backlogs, and ensuring service members received letters from their loved ones. A Congressional Gold Medal is only fitting for these veterans who received little recognition for their service after returning home.”
Additionally, the House voted to rename the Central Park Post Office in Buffalo as the “Indiana Hunt-Martin Post Office Building” after Indiana Hunt-Martin, who also served as a member of the 6888th. Hunt-Martin died in 2020 at 98 years old.
There are reports of a movie being made about the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
