The Senate has unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Women’s Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion – the Six-Triple-Eight – during World War II.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, introduced the bipartisan legislation in March of 2019.
The unit served at home and in Europe where they sorted and routed mail for millions of American service members and civilians. They were the only all-African-American, all-female battalion to serve overseas during the war.
Related
“Their contributions to the war effort cannot be understated – they worked tirelessly to clear a six-month backlog of mail by processing over 65,000 pieces of mail per shift to make certain that troop morale remained high at a pivotal point in the war,” said Moran in a statement.
“Their efforts made certain that people like my mom and dad, two people that loved each other dearly, were able to communicate throughout the war while my dad was overseas, just like so many other Kansans and Americans who were separated from their loved ones,” he added.
Related
The House of Representatives must also pass the legislation and the president must sign it in order for it to become law,
“These brave women paved the way for future generations to serve our country in the military and throughout society,” said Army Col. Edna W. Cummings, a 6888 advocate.
A monument in their honor is located at the Buffalo Soldier Memorial Park on Fort Leavenworth.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com
Want to get more connected to the great stories and resources Connecting Vets has to offer? Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter.