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General Assembly Substitute House Joint
Resolution No. 6
January Session, 2025
RESOLUTION HONORING THE MEMBERS OF THE 6888TH CENTRAL
POSTAL DIRECTORY BATTALION.
Resolved by this Assembly:
WHEREAS, in November 1944, the United States War Department 1
lifted the ban on African-American and Latina women serving in the 2
Women's Army Corps, leading to the formation of the 6888th Central 3
Postal Directory Battalion; and 4
WHEREAS, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was a 5
unique unit of the United States Army in that said unit had the 6
distinction of being the only battalion deployed to the European Theater 7
of Operations during World War II predominantly composed of 8
African-American and Latina women; and 9
WHEREAS, eight hundred fifty-five African-American and Latina 10
women, consisting of eight hundred twenty-four enlisted personnel and 11
thirty-one officers, served in "the Six Triple-Eight", which was 12
commissioned from February 1945 to March 1946; and 13
WHEREAS, the specific mission of the 6888th Battalion was to sort 14
and clear a multiyear backlog of mail for members of the United States 15
Army, Navy and Air Force, American Red Cross workers and 16
uniformed civilian specialists, who were stationed in Europe, 17 Substitute House Joint Resolution No. 6
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representing roughly seven million persons awaiting mail; and 18
WHEREAS, the 6888th Battalion trained at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 19
and learned to identify enemy aircraft, ships and weapons, to climb 20
ropes, jump trenches and crawl under logs wearing gas masks, to board 21
and evacuate ships and to march long distances with rucksacks; and 22
WHEREAS, in February 1945, the first of the 6888th Battalion 23
embarked from Camp Shank, New York, to sail across the Atlantic 24
Ocean aboard the Ile de France, during which voyage said ship survived 25
close encounters with German U-boats and a German V-1 rocket 26
explosion near the dock upon arrival in Glasgow, Scotland; and 27
WHEREAS, upon reaching Birmingham, England, by train, the 28
6888th Battalion was met with warehouses stacked to their ceilings with 29
letters and packages; and 30
WHEREAS, despite enduring air raids and inhumane working 31
conditions in dark, unheated and rat-infested aircraft hangars with 32
broken windows, the 6888th Battalion developed a new mail tracking 33
system, worked seven days a week in three separate eight-hour shifts to 34
process an average of sixty-five thousand parcels each shift and cleared 35
a six-month backlog in three months; and 36
WHEREAS, the 6888th Battalion then traveled to its next assignment 37
in Rouen, France, where it encountered undelivered mail dating as far 38
back as three years and proceeded to successfully process and clear that 39
backlog in three months; and 40
WHEREAS, upon conclusion of its final assignment in Paris, France, 41
the last of the 6888th Battalion returned to the United States aboard the 42
Claymont Victory, and said battalion was disbanded in March 1946 at 43
Fort Dix, New Jersey, with no parade, public appreciation or official 44
recognition of its accomplishments; and 45
WHEREAS, the 6888th Battalion adhered to its motto of "No mail, 46
low morale" and provided essential support to the United States 47 Substitute House Joint Resolution No. 6
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military in Europe by connecting servicemembers to their loved ones 48
back home, thereby achieving unprecedented success and efficiency in 49
overcoming the military's postal problems; and 50
WHEREAS, the 6888th Battalion was the largest contingent of 51
African-American and Latina women to ever serve overseas, dispelled 52
stereotypes and represented a change in racial and gender roles in the 53
military; and 54
WHEREAS, on February 25, 2009, the 6888th Battalion was honored 55
by President Barack Obama at the Women in Military Service for 56
America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery; and 57
WHEREAS, on November 30, 2018, a monument inscribed "Women 58
of Determination, Dedication and Distinction" was dedicated to the 59
6888th Battalion at the Buffalo Soldier Commemorative Area in Fort 60
Leavenworth, Kansas; and 61
WHEREAS, the 6888th Battalion was awarded the Women's Army 62
Corps Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign 63
Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory 64
Medal. 65
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Connecticut General 66
Assembly hereby recognizes the 6888th Central Postal Directory 67
Battalion and honors said battalion for its outstanding contributions to 68
the United States military during World War II. 69
VA Joint Favorable Subst.