The armed forces women recognized as the “Six Triple Eight” were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal for their groundbreaking work during World War II on Tuesday.
In 1945, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, led by Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, was the sole all-Black women’s military unit deployed to Europe during World War II. This extraordinary collective created an operations process that solved the severe postal disruption in Europe during the battle. In only three months, they cleared 17 million pieces of mail, finishing the job at twice the speed projected initially. Their innovative locator card system ensured service members received their correspondence without delay.
A view of a Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony honoring the Six Triple Eight in Emancipation Hall at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 29, 2025. The Six Triple Eight were the only female unit in the US military to serve overseas in World War II. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the Six Triple Eight, was a predominantly Black unit that was sent to Europe toward the end of the war to tackle a backlog of over 17 million pieces of undelivered mail. | Photo by DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images
Hollywood and Congress shine a long-overdue spotlight on the Six Triple Eight
Last December, the Tyler Perry-written and directed film, The Six Triple Eight, was released on Netflix, bringing more awareness to the women’s impact and historic contribution to the armed forces. Two years before the movie, the U.S. Congress voted 422-0 to present the 6888th with the most distinguished recognition, the Congressional Gold Medal, ABC News reported.
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Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored the bill, emphasized the importance of finally honoring the courageous women of the 6888th.
“These heroes deserve their dues; and I am so glad their story is being told,” Moore, a Democrat, told The Associated Press on April 28. “I am especially honored to ensure my constituent Ms. Anna Mae Robertson and the many others who served with her, are recognized for their selfless service.”
Inactive Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon admitted she couldn’t believe the voting results.
“It’s overwhelming,” she added. “It’s something I never even thought about it.”
Following the military’s integration, McClendon joined the Air Force and blazed a trail, becoming the first woman to command an all-male squadron under the Strategic Air Command before retiring in 1971.
“They kept hollering about wanting us to go overseas so I guess they found something for us to do overseas: Take care of the mail,” McClendon said. “And there was an awful lot of mail. … They expected we were gonna be there about two or three months trying to get it straightened out. Well I think in about a month, in a month and a half, we had it all straightened out and going in the right direction.”
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An honor decades in the making
Kim Guise of the National WWII Museum noted that just two women from the original 855-member unit are still alive today.
“That really shows how long this recognition took,” she told ABC News about the unit officially being recognized. “It is really important to recognize the accomplishments of these women and what they went through to serve their country in war time.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson joined others in a commemorative event at Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center to celebrate Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley’s legacy by presenting her family with the honorary medal.
