Collection: Letters, Legacy, and Liberation: The Story of the Six Triple Eight

(Displayed Items: WW2 Era Green US Postal Bag, WW2 Era White Canvas Soldier Mail Bag & WW2 Era US Army Postal Soldiers Return Mail Bag)

They weren’t just sorting mail, they were sorting through centuries of neglect, invisibility, and the weight of a segregated military that rarely said “thank you” to the hands that built the nation. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, better known today as the “Six Triple Eight,” were not simply WACs; they were Black Women of the Women’s Army Corps, the first and only all-Black WAC unit to deploy overseas during World War II. These 855 fearless soldiers, including 824 enlisted women and 31 (possibly 32) commissioned officers, were warriors in uniform; armed with discipline, duty, and Black excellence.

Their story begins with bold advocacy from the likes of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who fought tirelessly to ensure that Black women had a rightful place in the U.S. Army. In November 1944, these women were called together from 26 different locations across America, crossing state lines and shattering expectations to answer their country’s call, even when that country was slow to recognize their worth.

Commanded first by Lieutenant Colonel Charity Edna Adams (later Earley) (the highest-ranking Black woman in the Army at the time) the Six Triple Eight trained at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. They arrived in Europe under cover of night on February 12, 1945, stepping off the train in Birmingham, England, as sisters-in-arms and ambassadors of hope.

Their mission? Clear a massive two-to-three-year backlog of undelivered mail (17.5 million letters and parcels) clogged up in military depots across Europe. They worked in round-the-clock shifts in old warehouses and airplane hangars, processing an average of 65,000 pieces of mail per shift. These weren’t just letters; they were lifelines between soldiers and their families, lovers and friends. In Birmingham, in Rouen, and in Paris, they restored morale by reconnecting warriors with home.

But their impact didn’t stop at the post. These women brought culture, pride, and purpose wherever they went. They won both basketball and softball championships. They donated over $4,500 to the United Negro College Fund; an act of solidarity from Black women in uniform to Black scholars at home. Their commanding officer, LTC Charity Adams, was once a member of the Wilberforce University Marksmanship Team, trained by none other than Colonel B.O. Davis; who would go on to become the first Black general in the U.S. Army.

The Six Triple Eight was also the site of sacred firsts: Private Florence Collins became the first Black WAC to marry on foreign soil in Rouen, France, in August 1945. And when three of their sisters (PFC Mary H. Bankston, PVT Mary J. Barlow, & SGT Debres Brown) tragically lost their lives in a jeep accident, the Army refused to fund their burial. The women of the 6888th took up a collection, performed the mortuary duties themselves, and buried their sisters with the dignity denied to them by the very institution they served.

Let it be known: these women broke records, broke barriers, and broke the silence surrounding Black women in uniform. They marched not only with military precision but with ancestral power. They made history by handling mail, but more importantly, they made history by handling it while Black and while woman, in the face of racism, sexism, and the fog of war.

To honor them is to remember: We are the children of women who delivered more than mail. They delivered justice, pride, and legacy. The 6888th didn’t just sort letters: they sorted the future.

"As the curator of this museum and a devoted lover of all Black history, I am humbled every time I reflect on the legacy of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. These extraordinary women were called to do the impossible: clear a years-long mountain of undelivered mail that no other Army unit had managed to conquer. In just over 90 days, through discipline, brilliance, and unwavering resolve, they processed over 17 million letters and packages, restoring morale to troops across a war-torn continent. But their greatest triumph was not just logistical...it was spiritual. They stood tall in the face of racism, sexism, and institutional neglect, proving that Black women have always been the backbone of service and the soul of this nation. Their story is not simply one of military success, but of Black excellence, sisterhood, and historic resistance. The Six Triple Eight didn’t just complete the mission; they redefined what was possible for those the world tried to overlook."

- Dr. Tracy P. Washington (Curator, United Crowns Mobile Museum of Black History & Culture)