The only black unit, totally feminine that serves in Europe during World War II, received the Gold Medal of Congress on Tuesday at the United States Capitol.
The 6888th central postal board battalion, commonly known as the “six triple eight”, addressed an accumulation of approximately 17 million pieces of mail in three months before serving in France and finally returning to the United States.
Together with the bipartisan leaders of Congress, President Mike Johnson (R-La.) Presented the honor, which is the highest civil honor granted by Congress, to the family of the commander of the Unit, the lieutenant charity of charity Adams Earley. According to Johnson, more than 300 descendants and relatives of the triple Eight Battalion were present for the ceremony, in his speech.
“This remarkable story has captured an imagination brilliantly, has now inspired books and films, agitated the awareness of millions of Americans, who are now listening to and sharing this incredible story,” said Johnson.
The children of Earley, Stanley Earley III and Judith Earley, received the award of the leaders of the Chamber and the Senate.
President of the Chamber of the House of Representatives presents the Gold Medal of the Congress for 6888º Central Postal Board Battalion to Stanley Earley during a ceremony in Emancipation Hall, on April 29, 2025, in Washington, DC
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
During his service in 1945, the Battalion of 855 members did not obtain any fanfare or recognition for his exploits. This medal occurs after years of campaigning for the last battalion that many say they give an example for black women in the army.
The Congress voted 422-0 to grant 6888 with this honor in 2022. Representative Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.), Which co-crocked the legislation, spoke at the ceremony, praising the “unrecognized heroes” receiving recognition 80 years later.
This honor marks the last development in the expired recognition of the unit. A monument was erected in 2018 in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in his honor, and 6888 received the meritorious United United States Army praise in 2019.
The Netflix film directed by 2024 Tyler Perry about the unit, starring Kerry Washington, obtained an Oscar nomination for the best original song.
The retired colonel Edna Cummings, who shared some words of acceptance at the ceremony, directed a documentary about the unit in 2019.
“This story has now restored the passion of the service, as demonstrated by the young women who now disguise them as members of the six triple eight,” he said.
The Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NE) shared some words at the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of a bipartisan celebration in the current political climate.
“We gathered here today to greet these powerful veteran. We greet the ingenuity with which they emerged in battle,” Jeffries said. “We greet the barriers that broke in the system designed to push them aside. We greet their pioneering spirit and the path they paved for others.”
The 6888º Central Postal Board Battalion joins less than 200 receptors to receive the Gold Medal of the Congress.
