Courage to Deliver: The Women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

By the end of 1944, with the D-Day landings complete and the hard-fought Battle of the Bulge underway, the Army faced another daunting challenge: mail warehouses in Europe overflowed with mountains of undelivered letters and packages. A shortage of postal workers meant seven million Americans on the continent were feeling disconnected from their loved ones at home. In response, a Women's Army Corps (WAC) unit, eventually designated as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, was assembled and sent to England and then France.

The 6888th, comprised of 855 predominantly African American women, also included other segregated Latin American, Caribbean, and multiracial women. They were the only unit of Black women to serve overseas during World War II. Under the command of Major Charity Adams, the "Six Triple Eight" developed an efficient and effective sorting and tracking system to tackle the severe mail backlog. They redirected mail for service members moving across the continent, corrected incomplete addresses, and repackaged damaged letters and parcels. The unit exceeded expectations and is credited with delivering over 17 million items by the end of the war. Their motto of "No mail, low morale," reflected their dedication to boost the morale of Army soldiers and civilians serving in Europe.