The Six Triple Eight Parents Guide (World War II True story)

Last Updated on December 7, 2024 by Stephinie Heitman

Despite the deadly perils of World War II surrounding them, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion never wavered from its motto: “No mail, low morale.” In doing so, the all-women army regiment provided hope for the soldiers in the conflict and carved out an unerasable story in military history.

The story of the 6888th Battalion is presented in a new movie called The Six Triple Eight that premiered in some theaters on the 6th of December and will become available on Netflix starting from December 20.

Directed by Tyler Perry and starring Kerry Washington, The Six Triple Eight was about commanding officer Charity Adams, who assisted the USTWAC in sorting through millions of letters and packages that were never delivered to American soldiers.

Though the achievement was challenging enough, the almost exclusively black battalion also had to deal with racism and misogyny; their fight was a tripartite endeavor. In an interview that was conducted with one of the veteran members of the group Richard Goldstein, the woman said that there were three things that they fought: first, segregation, next, the war, and last, the men.

Women weren’t allowed to join the Army until 1942

When the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, women were not officially enlisted to support the Army. There was, however, a significant shift on May 14, 1952, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill known as the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps into law. It was later changed to the Women’s Army Corps abbreviated as WAC.

Among the thousands of women who responded to the call was Charity Adams, a 23-year-old lady who was on her summer break from teaching junior high math and science in Columbia, South Carolina, when she heard about the advertisement for the application form. Her reason for joining was this She was always a fan of the page and wanted to be a part of it. She recounted in her book One Woman’s Army that “the letter… highlighted career and leadership.” Little did she know she would be the 1st African American female officer in the United States Army and the commander of the newly formed 6888th Battalion known as the Six Triple Eight.

After the enfranchisement of women to join the U.S. Army, Charity Adams was among the first black women to join as an officer.

It was started in December 1944 to help reduce the backlog of mail that had been awaiting the then over 7 million American troops in Europe. This was expected to increase morale as forces engaged in combat for extended periods.

The Library of Congress states that the 6888th was composed mostly of African American women, with slight integration of Hispanic and Caribbean females; it was also stated that the age of enrollment ranged between 17 to 52 years. The group began undergoing basic combat and receiving their gas masks at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia where the members encountered racism. They had to drink from different fountains for ‘colored’ military personnel; male officers harassed ‘colored’ ladies. But under the leadership of Adams, the 855-member regiment banded together and prepared to prove themselves overseas.

The 6888th worked in miserable conditions

This history of the 6888th begins on February 14, 1945, when its members landed in Glasgow, Scotland, before proceeding to Birmingham, England where they would serve. However, it was not long before she realized the racism she had faced in the United States had followed them to their new home.

According to the Library of Congress, the American Red Cross declined to offer hotel lodgings to Black Auxiliary Corps personnel and instead provided a specific facility for them in London.

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Angry with such an act, Adams proceeded to boycott the organization’s facilities. They wanted to establish another hotel for the Black WACs.

They were going to make them sleep there, but I told them, ‘It will be over my dead body.’ And to my knowledge, nobody slept there,” she added in her interview for the U.S. Army Women’s Museum.

Located within an old high school, the 6888th was an independent battalion that had its own mess, dispensary, and military police who were taught judo instead of firing practice. Nevertheless, the working conditions were below expectations.

They could see that at least six warehouses of un-delivered mail awaited the battalion in Birmingham. As many packages including the cake and fried chicken contained foods which have gone bad, they developed mold, and rats became attracted to them to scavenge for food. When the mail was prepared for sorting, agents did this in blackouts with factory windows painted black to camouflage their operations from the Germans. People were straining their eyes due to close work.

Cold and snowy weather conditions posed extra difficulties. Clerks had to dress for the cold as the warehouses did not have heaters, so, they had to wear ski pants, field jackets, and other clothing while at work.

Therefore, the group endeavored to raise its spirits as high as could be. They were usually able to go bowling and dancing or eat out as part of recreational activities since the venue was located within the city. Locals even invited them into their houses for Sunday dinners, providing a needed respite.

The unit sorted the mail in half the allotted time

Despite the challenge, the members of the 6888th put in their best efforts; working around the clock with eight-hour shifts throughout the week, and things began to progress as planned. According to the Buffalo Soldier Educational and Historical Committee, the unit was able to sort more than 17 million letters and parcels within three months or half of the time limit which effectively erased the mail backlog.

Soldiers of the 6888th Battalion parade in honor of Joan of Arc in Rouen, France in 1945.

Nevertheless, the 6888th did not stay idle during the time they served as a division of the China National Aviation Corporation. The group moved to Rouen, France in June 1955 to sort more mail and managed to clear a backlog of three years in five months.

By then the war was over in both the European and the Pacific fronts. This was followed by a document from the National Archives stating that the unit was cut by 300 soldiers. Finally, the whole of the 6888th was sent back to Fort Dix in New Jersey by February 1946 after which the battalion was officially disbanded.

Likewise, the 6888th Battalion received hardly any recognition during and in the years following the conflict. There was no parade or ceremony to celebrate any of their achievements. The group did not receive the Congressional Medal of Honor until the presidency of Joe Biden in March 2022, nearly 80 years later.

“The lack of appreciation these Black women received upon their return was a reflection of the general disregard and even hostility that Black soldier received from the American public after Second World War as pointed out by the Archivist Damani Davis”. “However, similar to the Black male counterparts, getting an overseas experience gave those women the extra push and desire to challenge the injustices back home even more.”

However, the presence of the 6888th finally demonstrated to the U.S. army that black women were valuable and could be included as part of the military forces. According to the Library of Congress, Black women accounted for only 5.7 percent of the WAC during World War II. That total had risen to 34.1 percent by 2020.

Adams prioritized public service as a civilian, too

Even though the 6888th was disbanded and sent back to the United States without much celebration, Adams was decorated several times for her performance as the leader of the battalion. As stated by the National Women’s History Museum, she was then promoted to lieutenant colonel, the highest possible rank for the WAC under director Oveta Culp Hobby in December of 1945. After only three months of active duty, she was honorably discharged, and in recognition, she was presented with a scroll of honor by The National Council of Negro Women Inc.

After demobilization, many women of the 6888th were able to pursue further education with the aid of the GI Bill after returning from Europe. This included Adams, who studied at Ohio State University and was awarded the master of arts degree in 1946. She had several occupations in academic administration before her marriage to Stanley A. Earley Jr. in 1949, which she assumed as her last name.

Regarding her childhood, after the end of her husband’s medical studies, the couple moved to Dayton, Ohio during the 1950s. Adams was actively involved in community activities, he served on the board of directors of the local chapter of the American Red Cross and established the Black Leadership Development Program that offered education and training to the black population.

In early 1996, Adams was honored by the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, which hosted a special ceremony to honor her and other women whose contributions during the war were noteworthy. She passed on several years later, on January 13, 2002, aged 83. Thanks to Perry’s film, an entirely new generation will know the inspiring story of Charity Adams Earley and her comrades in the Six Triple Eight.

According to Netflix, only two veterans of the 6888th Battalion are still alive today: These women include Fannie McClendon and Anna Mae Robertson. It was particularly a meeting they had in April of 2022 wherein they hosted one of the most notable Black actors, the late Lena Derriecott King who died at the beginning of 2024 aged 100 years that prompted the director, Tyler Perry to develop The Six Triple Eight.

For instance, 55-year-old Perry posted an Instagram video in which he stated that he watched an incomplete version of the movie with King shortly before her demise. “I hurried as soon as possible and assembled the movie and took it to her to watch,” he stated. I then sat beside her with my iPad and watched the movie and I must say that the reaction was so phenomenal or to say incredible. She cried.”

The video also featured a part of King’s response to the question. “Thanks for making the world realize the women, the black women’s role in the society, in the struggle for freedom, in the war for a cause, in everything dear,” she said.

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You can watch The Six Triple Eight, which brings the story of King, Adams, and their colleagues to life, in theaters right now. The movie will be available on Netflix starting December 20 and starring Kerry Washington and starring Susan Sarandon, Oprah Winfrey, and others.

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