Pfc. Mary J. Barlow, Pfc. Mary H. Bankston and Staff Sgt. Dolores M. Browne suffered suffocating segregation while serving her country, but with her comrades they maintained a lifeline between the American troops and their families at home.
The battalion, which served in England and France, had a difficult task: clearing an overwhelming accumulation of letters and care packages that had been accumulating over the years. The mail was seen as a lifeline and morale booster – a reminder of the home and country these troops fought for, and the Army wanted the job to be done quickly.
The Six Triple Eight often worked in cold and dark conditions for months, but completed their mission even earlier than expected. But when they got home, the African American women’s unit received little or no fanfare.
“I am sure you have seen, as many people have seen, how service people were advertised,” said the former WAC. Lena King, 97, one of 11 known survivors of the 855-member battalion. “But our dismissal was silent and unpronounced. We just went home.”
While the Six Triple Eight has received accolades in recent years, including the Army’s Meritorious Unit recommendation in 2019, supporters are behind bills calling for the battalion to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for its Extraordinary service, joining the likes of Tuskegee Airmen and Montford Point Marines.
“I think people know that black women served during World War II,” said retired Army Colonel Edna Cummings, who advocates for women. “But I don’t think they know the full scope of their service.”
This effort to further acknowledge what black women endured and accomplished during World War II occurs when people across the country are once again on a question of race.
King said he believes the service of African American men and women in World War II should have resulted in a broader impact on society.
“The thing is, all of that will improve things for racial equality, etc., but it really doesn’t have any effect,” he said. “It is painful to see that we have not yet succeeded.
A call for women to unite
In February 1945, 6888, commanded by Major Charity Adams (later Adams Earley), was dispatched to England, where staff shortages were wreaking havoc on the mail system.
As Allied troops advanced through Europe, shifting locations made mail delivery difficult.
Upon arrival in Birmingham, England, the women were surprised to see mail piled up in hangars and warehouses.
“Oh God, it was terrible,” said former WAC Indiana Hunt-Martin, one of the few surviving members of the 6888 Army Women’s Corps.
Countless soldiers had the same full name. Adams Early said that at one point there were 7,500 Robert Smiths.
Hunt-Martin remembers that the men at the front were constantly moving.
“Sometimes he would send a letter, when he looked around, he was back because he had moved again,” said Hunt-Martin.
“The English were friendly,” said former WAC fan Fannie Griffin McClendon. “One of the many things they wanted to know is why we were all separated. We didn’t have that answer for them.”
Segregation and inequality for black WACs
Like much of the country, the military was segregated during World War II. Black service members faced continued racism, and the women of the 6888th have keen memories of being segregated on trains, spat upon and degraded by white men and women.
Even the battalion chief was not exempt.
Adams Early wrote that a general said to him, “I will send a white first lieutenant here to show you how to operate this unit.”
Your answer? “On my corpse, sir.”
Former WACs said prejudice hurt particularly because they had enrolled in the war effort out of a sense of duty. Many also looked for long-missed opportunities for most black women, who were often relegated to service roles as maids and cooks.
Those with college and higher degrees said they hoped the military would benefit from their education and provide training for a more qualified job. According to the historian and author Sandra Bolzenius, most of them were unsatisfied.
“There was not much excitement for black women to be in the military,” Bolzenius said, arguing that military leaders did not like being forced to change hiring practices. “Incredible, because the crisis, the shortage of troops was real.”
Bolzenius said many white post commanders were reluctant to request that black WACs join their bases after graduating from basic training. They did not want to go to the trouble of establishing separate rooms, schedules, and classes for black WACs. If they did, commanders relegated them to less-skilled roles as aides, laundry workers, and cleaners.
In March 1945 in Massachusetts, about 100 black WACs went on strike refusing to report to work at a hospital in Fort Devens. They had been promised jobs as technicians, but were assigned low-level roles instead.
“You know, there was confidence in these women that led them to strike,” Bolzenius said. “They knew that the way other people were looking at them was completely wrong.”
6888 fulfills its mission.
While the uneven conditions were a shock to some, they were expected by those accustomed to the nation’s racial divide. But, speaking to CNN, the surviving members of the six triples eight spend much more time remembering his contributions to the war effort.
Her accomplishments showed the world how well black women could perform in the military, said retired commander of the US Navy Carlton Philpot.
“As with most minority and women’s initiatives, if the initial group fails, then that’s not a good thing,” said Philpot, who was instrumental in building a monument honoring the Six Triple Eight at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 2018. “But if they are successful, they may not get full credit, but it does open the hearts and minds of many good people.”
But three women never came home. Pfc. Mary J. Barlow, Pfc. Mary H. Bankston and Staff Sgt. Dolores M. Browne died in a jeep accident while on duty in France in July 1945.
The history of 6888 is solidified in history with those tombs in Normandy and now they are a more important part of WWII history.
“We want to leave a legacy that we have done something remarkable,” said King. “We have done so much, I think to show that we are as interested and love our country as much as anyone else.”
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