#6888th

[todaysdocument]

Photograph of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in England

Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal OfficerSeries: Photographs of American Military Activities

Original caption: As a Scottish piper instructs Pfc. Edith Gaskill, Arlington, Va., in the art of playing bagpipes, Pvt. Marie McKinney, Washington, D.C., examines his kilt. The Wacs are members of the first negro all-Wac postal unit to arrive in the European theater of operations. The unit will handle the Army Postal Directory Service for the entire theater. U.S. Army port, Greenock, Scotland.

Photographer: Pfc. George Holt.

In this black and white photograph, a man in the uniform of a Highlander regiment shows an African American WAC his bagpipes, while another African American WAC is touching his kilt.  Both WACs are in full uniform with overcoats, knapsacks, and combat helmets.

[sewickedthread]

The 6888th: Black Military Women Honored With Monument

A monument was unveiled last Friday at Kansas' Fort Leavenworth to honor the only black Women's Army Corps unit to deploy overseas during World War II.

id: women of 6888th Army Corps in WWII lined in V-formation

Monument unveiled in Fort Leavenworth, KS honoring 6888th

[todaysdocument]

Members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion eat a meal at Women’s Army Corps quarters somewhere in England, 2/15/1945. 

Series: Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918 - ca. 1981

Record Group 111: Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 - 1985

Image description: Black women in Women’s Army Corps uniforms sit at a table in a mess hall. They are eating food from steel mess kit plates and cups. The food includes toast and whole fruit (oranges?). In the center of the table is a potted plant, possibly a rhododendron. The windows of the room are dark.

[herstory-storiesaboutwomen]

Charity Adams Earley (Dec 5, 1918 – Jan 13, 2002) was a United States Army officer. She was the first African-American woman to become an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later WACs) and was the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was made up of African-American women serving overseas during World War II. Adams was the highest-ranking African-American woman in the army by the completion of the war. Via Wikipedia

[robeight]

WWII Vet Honored With Congressional Gold Medal

A 102-year-old World War II veteran is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. In 1943 Romay Davis followed her five brothers by enlisting in the Army and was assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, also known as the “Six-Triple-Eight.” The 6888th was charged with sorting and clearing out a massive backlog of letters and packages that had accumulated in warehouses in Europe by the end of WWII.

Davis and the more than 800 other Black women that made up her battalion, worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week in shifts, processing more than 65-thousand items each shift. Their motto was “No Mail, Low Morale.” Defying all expectations, the women of the 6888th managed to clear out six months of backlogged mail in just three months. “The mail situation was in such horrid shape they didn’t think the girls could do it,” Davis recalls. “But they proved a point.”

Earlier this year President Biden signed a bill authorizing the Congressional Gold Medal for the 6888th. The actual medals won’t be ready for a few months, but it was decided to hold an event for Davis and the five other surviving members of her battalion due to their advanced age. Davis was presented with the medal citation and a wartime uniform to replace hers that was stolen years ago. The crowd gave her a standing ovation and many were brought to tears over the occasion.

Source: AP News

[cherrynetwork]

World War II- Major Charity Adams- 6888 Postal Battalion

The eight hundred WACs of the Army's Central Postal Directory Battalion, the 'Six Triple Eight,' were stationed overseas and in charge of redirecting all 'V-...

More information about Lt. Col Charity Adams Earley and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion ("Six Triple Eight"), the first and only black WAC unit to be deployed to Europe during World War II. (https://www.womenofthe6888th.org) 

[cherrynetwork]

A "must-watch" interview with Lt. Col Charity Adams Earley presented by the Women's Army Corp Museum as part of the WAC Foundation Oral History Program. Lt. Col Charity Adams Earley was one of the first African American WAC Officers, graduating from the First WAAC Officer Candidate School in 1942.  In 1945 as Major Charity Adams, she became commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion ("Six Triple Eight"), the first and only black WAC unit to be deployed to Europe during World War II. More about the "Six Triple Eight", visit: https://www.womenofthe6888th.org

[coolchicksfromhistory]

From the Washington DC VA Medical Center:

The oldest female Veteran, the high-spirited, fun-loving, amazing local celebrity, Ms. Alyce Dixon, died peacefully in her sleep at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center's Community Living Center. She was 108 years old. 

She is well-known in the community for her elegant sense of style, her long repertoire of eyebrow-raising jokes and very strong opinions. She credits her long life to sharing and caring. 

"I always shared what little I have, that's why He let me live so long. I just believe in sharing and giving. If you have a little bit of something and someone else needs it, share," she said. 

Ms. Dixon was born in 1907, when an American's average life expectancy was only 47 years. She was born Alice Ellis in Boston. At the age of 16, she changed the spelling of her name to Alyce after seeing a picture show starring actress Alyce Mills. She lived life on her own terms from that day forward. 

She was married for a time, but divorced her husband over an $18 grocery bill. He found out she was sending money home to her family and put her on a strict allowance. This didn't sit well for the independent young woman. 

"I found myself a job, an apartment and a roommate. I didn't need him or his money," she said. 

She later joined the military in 1943. She was among one of the first African-American women in the Army. As a member of the Women's Army Corps, she was stationed in England and France where she played an important role in the postal service as part of the 6888th Battalion. 

After leaving the Army, she served the government for many years at the Census Bureau and for the Pentagon where she served as a purchasing agent, buying everything from pencils to airplanes. She retired from government service in 1973.

Previously: Cool Chicks from History post on the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion