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4mo ago

Six Triple Eight Honored with Congressional Gold Medal for WWII Service

The all-Black, all-female battalion was recognized for clearing a massive mail backlog and boosting troop morale under harsh wartime conditions.

Image
Ebony Obsidian, Pepi Sonuga, Moriah Brown, Kylie Jefferson, Kerry Washington and Sarah Jeffery accept the Outstanding Motion Picture award for "The Six Triple Eight" during the 56th NAACP Image Awards on February 22, 2025.
FILE - World War II veteran Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, a member of the World War II 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, poses for a photo at her home on June 10, 2021, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

Overview

  • On April 29, 2025, House Speaker Mike Johnson presented the Congressional Gold Medal to the family of Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, commander of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, at a ceremony in Emancipation Hall.
  • The 6888th, known as the Six Triple Eight, processed 17 million pieces of mail in three months during World War II, working in freezing warehouses and overcoming racism and sexism.
  • Only two of the original 855 members of the battalion are still alive, highlighting the long delay in recognition for their contributions.
  • The unit's story has gained wider recognition in recent years through a 2018 monument, a 2019 Meritorious Unit Commendation, and the 2024 Netflix film 'Six Triple Eight' directed by Tyler Perry.
  • The bipartisan ceremony emphasized the battalion's legacy of operational excellence and its role in paving the way for future generations of Black women in the military.