|
Posted by: News_Desk on 02/23/2022 12:59 PM
Updated by: News_Desk on 02/23/2022 01:00 PM
Expires: 01/01/2027 12:00 AM
:
A Story Honoring Black History Month and Women's History Month
Columbia Falls, ME...Written by Wreaths Across America: During the first World War Ralph Lindsey, my great grandfather, kept a journal of his service on the front. He wrote about the front, his travels, his wounds, but the thing that came up most often – the mail. Fast-forward 100 years. Even in the digital age there is something uniquely personal about a written letter – it creates a connection that digital communications simply cannot match. Anyone who has served in the military knows – no mail equals low morale. Click 'Read More' for full story.
In early 1945 as the Battle of the Bulge concluded Army officials reported that a lack mail was hurting morale. Warehouses were filled with millions of pieces of mail destined for the seven million Americans serving in the European theatre. The task of getting that mail to its intended recipients fell on the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
Except for a few smaller units of nurses, the “Six Triple Eight” was the only all women, all black unit from the Women’s Army Corps to serve overseas during WW2. In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor our entire nation was mobilized to support the war efforts. While the war largely united Americans in a common purpose – the military remained segregated with the ability to serve being restricted based on race and gender. The women of the 6888th not only served – they had to fight for their right to serve. The unit’s commander, Major Charity Adams – became the first black women to hold a commission in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.
The Six Triple Eight confronted warehouses stacked to the ceiling with letters and packages. These buildings were unheated and dimly lit, the windows blacked out to prevent light showing during nighttime air raids. Rats sought out packages of spoiled cakes and cookies. As it was a cold winter, they wore long johns and extra layers of clothing under their coats while working in these warehouses. The unit members were organized into three separate shifts daily, so work continued around the clock, seven days a week. They tracked individual servicemembers by maintaining about seven million locator cards including serial numbers to distinguish different individuals with the same name. They dealt with “undeliverable” mail which was sent to their location for redirection. They investigated insufficiently addressed mail for clues to determine the intended recipient, and they handled the sad duty of returning mail addressed to servicemembers who had died.
As the war concluded the legacy of the 6888th was already being formed. Three members of the 6888th are buried at Colleville-Sur-Mer Normandy American Cemetery (there are only four women buried there). Like so many of the greatest generation, the women of the 6888th returned from the war determined to make up for lost time - while some remained in the military, others used the GI Bill to further their education and create new opportunities for themselves. They became teachers, nurses, and businesswomen. One of the most important aspects of their legacy was their contributions to civil rights. The accomplishments of the 6888th in Europe contributed to a study regarding the contributions of women to the war efforts which concluded: “[T]he national security program is the joint responsibility of all Americans irrespective of color or sex” and “the continued use of colored, along with white, female military personnel is required in such strength as is proportionately appropriate to the relative population distribution between colored and white races.”
This is not a story about the mail. This is a story about 855 black women, who found a way to serve when the nation needed them most. In 2019 a bi-partisan effort was started to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 6888th. As of the writing of this article that bill has passed the Senate and is awaiting a vote in the U.S. House of representatives.
Joseph Reagan is the Director of Military and Veterans Outreach for Wreaths Across America. He has almost 20 years’ experience working with leaders within Government, non-profit, and Fortune 500 companies to develop sustainable strategies supporting National Security, and Veterans Health. He served 8 years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army including two tours to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. He is a graduate of Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the country.
Source = Wreaths Across America
https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/
# # #
|
| Comments - Make a comment |
| The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content. We value free speech but remember this is a public forum and we hope that people would use common sense and decency. If you see an offensive comment please email us at news@thepinetree.net
😷
Posted on: 2022-02-23 13:17:39
By: Anonymous
|
|
"The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it is ending its "China Initiative" program that was aimed at preventing spying by the Chinese Communist Party, and launching a new, "broader approach."
But the DOJ is still going to go after moms who question why their children still have to wear mask at school when science says it's not needed for children.
[Reply
]
|
Re: 😷
Posted on: 2022-02-23 14:25:33
By: Anonymous
|
|
Sorry, not to get in the way of your rant, but this article about the women of the 6888th is great.
Hats off to Hamilton for finding and posting an unusual story that we would probably otherwise never learn about.
Thanks John!
[Reply
]
|
Re: 😷
Posted on: 2022-02-23 21:20:48
By: Anonymous
|
|
They should stick to house cleaning!
[Reply
]
|
Re: 😷
Posted on: 2022-02-24 04:10:56
By: Anonymous
|
|
You should stick to buggering your daddy incel.
[Reply
]
|
Say it ain't so Joe
Posted on: 2022-02-23 13:35:16
By: Anonymous
|
|
This Russia- Ukraine invasion is just so sad. Here's why one shouldn't be a career politician, a do nothing that is clueless on what he's doing. One who has rode on everyone else's coat-tails and then act like he knows what he's doing.
We had sanctions on Putin's Russia and what did some senile has been do? Oh e dropped all the sanctions that were already in place, and for good reason.
"President Biden announced that he will be imposing sanctions on the owner of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline connecting Russia and Germany, in response to Russian actions in Ukraine.
The move reverses a May 2021 decision to waive sanctions on the project, which was heavily criticized by Republicans. The sanctions will affect Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO Matthis Warnig.
In a statement issued from the White House Wednesday afternoon, Biden referenced Germany’s recent announcement that it would halt the pipeline’s certification and thanked Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his cooperation in "holding Russia accountable" for its aggression"
But then again President Obama's Secretary of Defense said of Joe Biden "I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”~ President Obama’s former Defense Secretary Robert Gates
[Reply
]
|
Re: Say it ain't so Joe
Posted on: 2022-02-23 15:51:43
By: Anonymous
|
|
This is all Bumbling Biden's fault when Russia invades Ukraine. This sh*t should have been taken care of months ago with heavy sanctions and a build up of our military. Old fuk Biden is a disaster and a worthless piece of sh*t. Putin would not have ever thought about invading Ukraine if President Trump were still in office. I find it interesting that Bumbling Biden has stopped the pipeline to Russia now but opened it as soon as President Trump left office. Gee, do ya think that Biden made a mistake and now he has to own up to it.
[Reply
]
|
Re: Say it ain't so Joe
Posted on: 2022-02-23 21:04:29
By: Anonymous
|
|
Your Dad made a mistake by not wearing a rubber.
[Reply
]
|
Re: Say it ain't so Joe
Posted on: 2022-02-23 21:28:12
By: Anonymous
|
|
^Your mother should have swallowed you! LOL!
[Reply
]
|
|
| What's Related |
| These might interest you as well
Photo Albums
Local News
Calendar
phpws Business Directory
|
|
|
