It took nearly 80 years, but the remarkable legacy of the “Six Triple Eight” is finally getting the national recognition it deserves.
On Tuesday, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the only mostly Black, all-women unit to serve overseas during World War II — was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian honor, at the U.S. Capitol, according to ABC News.
These women, known as the “Six Triple Eight,” were sent to Europe in 1945 with one mission: clear a massive backlog of military mail — 17 million pieces — that had piled up and was delaying critical communication between U.S. troops and their loved ones. They completed the task in just three months before serving in France and eventually returning home.
But despite their vital contribution to the war effort, these 855 women were met with silence and no formal recognition when they returned home.
That changed this week.
Descendants and family members gathered in Washington for the ceremony. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, presented the medal to the children of the unit’s commanding officer, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley — Stanley Earley III and Judith Earley.
“This remarkable story has brightly captured imaginations; it has now inspired books and movies, stirred the consciousness of millions of Americans who are just now hearing and sharing this incredible story,” Johnson said.
Congress voted 422–0 in 2022 to award the medal. Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored the legislation, called the Six Triple Eight “unsung heroes” who are finally getting their due.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also spoke at the ceremony.
“We gather here today to salute these mighty veterans,” Jeffries said. “We salute the ingenuity with which they sprang into battle. We salute the barriers that they broke in the system designed to push them aside. We salute their trailblazing spirit and the road that they paved for others.”
Retired Col. Edna Cummings, who directed a 2019 documentary on the unit, also addressed the crowd.
“This history has now restored the passion of service, as evidenced by young girls who now dress up as members of the Six Triple Eight,” Cummings said.
This Congressional Gold Medal marks yet another chapter in the Six Triple Eight’s long-overdue recognition. In 2018, a monument was unveiled in their honor at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The U.S. Army awarded the battalion the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. And in 2024, The Six Triple Eight — a Netflix film directed by Tyler Perry and starring Kerry Washington — earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Now officially part of the nation’s record of valor, the Six Triple Eight joins fewer than 200 recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal.