Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — Tuesday afternoon, Speaker Johnson hosted a bipartisan Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, commonly known as the Six Triple Eight. The battalion was the first and only all-Black, all-female unit to serve overseas in Europe during World War II. The Six Triple Eight, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, was instrumental in clearing the U.S. Army’s backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail in only three months, twice as fast as projected.
The ceremony was held in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol and featured remarks from Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune, Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, Senator Moran, Senator Rosen, Representative Moore, former Representative LaTurner, and Colonel Edna Cummings. Stanley Earley III and Judith Earley, children of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, accepted the medal on behalf of the 855 women who served in the Six Triple Eight.
Watch the Speaker’s remarks here
Read Speaker Johnson’s remarks below:
It’s a beautiful spring afternoon. We’re so happy to have you all, and I want to welcome my colleagues in Congress, of course, officials of the United States Army, distinguished guests. We’re so happy to have you at the United States Capitol today. We are honored to be joined by over 300 descendants and family members of the six triple eight.
What a testament this is to the enduring impact of these remarkable women that we honor today. This ceremony reflects one of the highest and most cherished traditions of our republic, one that’s roots stretch back all the way to General George Washington, Ulysses S Grant and the Wright brothers.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor this body can bestow. It’s reserved for those whose courage and service shaped our country and our nation’s story. It’s in this spirit that we gather to award this medal to the 6888, the Central Postal Directory. It’s 6888, but we call it the six triple eight.
This battalion was the first and the only unit of African American women to serve overseas during World War II. As tens of thousands of Allied forces made their final push across Europe, the mail system was stretched thin from scarce resources. It was crippling under the weight of wartime logistics.
Then, just as today, letters of home were very, very important. They were lifelines that grounded the soldiers. They reminded our brave heroes of all they were fighting for, it was actually waiting back at home. Morale reports during the war underscore just how important mail was to the soldiers’ spirit, so much so that the phrase no mail, low morale became widespread. It was later adopted by the army as the official motto of the six triple eight yet for all the importance of mail, millions of undelivered letters piled up in dark warehouses across Europe, and those letters might well have stayed there, were it not for the work of the women that we celebrate today?
Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, the battalion – Parenthetically, I just want to note she sounds like a Marvel, hero, that name is so awesome. Charity Adams Earley. The battalion deployed to England and got to work on the on the backlog. They worked in three ships, around the clock, day in and day out, to sort through the literal mountains of mail that had accumulated, all while navigating troop movements that turned on a dime, incomplete addresses, illegible writing, and thousands of soldiers who shared the same names.
Listen to this. This is just one example. Okay, my name is Mike Johnson. Right, at this time, I know it’s sad. At this time, Michael was the ninth most popular name, and Johnson was one of the top five surnames. So, my staff did the math. They said, Sir, it’s pretty safe to assume that roughly 30,000 Mike Johnson’s served in World War II, and that’s enough to fill Fenway Park.
Now just imagine the challenge that these ladies have. They were trying to get the right letter to the right soldier, and that’s the kind of that’s the kind of challenge that they faced. With great ingenuity, they maintained a tracking system of 7 million ID cards to solve the issue of soldiers curing names. They didn’t have all the high-tech gadgets that we have today. They had to do it manually.
Processing roughly 65,000 pieces of mail per shift, they cleared the entire backlog in no less than three months.
Listen to this. By the war’s end, the Six Triple Eight had sorted over 17 million pieces of mail. They got the job done, even in the face of inadequate supplies and even in the face of discrimination, both for women within the Army and back home. These women were valiant members of our Greatest Generation, artists, academics, athletes, women who wanted went on to pursue higher education, to build families, to buy homes, and shape the very foundation of the American middle class.
We remember women like Margaret Sales, who enlisted on her 20th birthday. She enlisted on her 20th birthday, and she had dreams of pursuing music and teaching. We remember women like Romay Davis. She used the GI Bill to attend fashion school, and decades later, earned her black belt in her 70s. Tough ladies.
We also, of course, remember the incomparable Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley who guided her unit. She faced all those challenges and she guided her unit with unshakable grace and resolve. And even after earning her degree in mathematics, Latin and physics, she returned to her studies after the war, and she said this famously, “After handling 855 women, any course in college would be a cinch.”
We’re blessed that two members of the Six Triple Eight are still with us today, watching from home. They are, and we want to salute them from here in the chamber. Fannie McClendon, who hails from my home state of Louisiana, all right. She went on to serve her country as a Major in the Air Force. We also have Anna Mae Robertson watching at home. Just last month, she celebrated her 101st birthday. Ms. Anna Mae, you got a big group here.
Okay, these women and the entire Six Triple Eight, are great American patriots, loyal to a nation that, for far too long, failed to return that favor. And I’m glad to say that that’s changing, and we’re doing that here today.
This remarkable story has rightly captured imaginations, it has now inspired books and movies, stirred the conscience of millions of Americans who are just now hearing and sharing this incredible story. Today here in the people’s house, we add to that story. So, thank you all for being here. We are honored to host you and to celebrate these exceptional women. God bless you.
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