Courage to Deliver: The Women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Special Orders belonging to Indiana Hunt Martin officially assigning the Black WACs to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, 30 May 1945. Originally the WACs were working unassigned with the First Base Post Office in England.
The 6888th Mission
In 1943, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was converted to the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and granted military status. With this transition, Dr. Bethune, along with several African American organizations, successfully advocated for Black women to be sent abroad.
By December 1944, the 6888th received training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and shortly thereafter arrived in Europe. In both England and France, they faced overwhelming backlogs of mail. The challenging situation was due to a chornic shortage of postal workers, constant troop movements, common soldier names, and incomplete addresses. It was estimated that 7,500 individuals were named Robert Smith. The mail, housed in dimly lit and drafty aircraft hangers, had sometimes been ravaged by rodents. The Six Triple Eight lived in austere conditions with outside showers and sparse indoor heat. Nevertheless, when the unit arrived, fresh from the States, they were ready to prove themselves up to the task.
