Black Female WWII Unit Set to Receive Congressional Gold Medal

Many WW2 heroes served on and off the battlefield to protect freedom. Unfortunately, some unsung heroes do not get the recognition they deserve. For others, like one black female WW II unit, that recognition takes time. The unit is known as “the Six Triple Eight.” To be more technical, they were the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

This group earned a special place in the history books being the only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II. While, on the surface, they were addressing an issue with mail backlog, their presence meant much more. Morale was low as millions of pieces of mail were undelivered to service members and volunteers. Of course, processing this mail was important, but even more so was what The Six Triple Eight represented.

It was a time when women were starting to serve more and when blacks were pushing for more opportunity. The 6888th was an inspiration to many Americans and opened doors for other African-American women. Sadly, the 855 members did not receive much recognition upon returning home and only seven are alive today. A bill has passed the Senate to finally award the Congressional Gold Medal to the battalion. Read the full story here from ABC News.

It is wonderful to see The Six Tripple Eight get the recognition they deserve. We believe that it is so important to give back to the American’s who gave so much during WWII and Korea. That is why we encourage Congress to pass a bill we call The Greatest Generation Benefits Act. This legislation would greatly improve the lives of so many older Americans. Learn more and sign our petition here.

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