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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The members of the legendary 6888th Central Postal |
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Directory Battalion rendered exceptional service to their country |
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during World War II; and |
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WHEREAS, The battalion was formed in 1941, when |
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U.S. Representative Edith Nourse Rogers introduced a bill to create |
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the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps; President Franklin D. Roosevelt |
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signed the bill into legislation the following year, and the WAAC's |
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name was changed to the Women's Army Corps in 1943; after several |
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units of White women were sent to serve in the European theater, |
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African American organizations lobbied for the deployment of a |
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Black WAC unit overseas; the U.S. War Department approved the |
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request, and a battalion of enlisted personnel and officers were |
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drawn from the WAC, the Army Service Forces, and the Army Air Forces |
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for the establishment of the 6888th Central Postal Directory |
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Battalion; the 855-member unit, which included 44 Texans, became |
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known as the "Six Triple Eight" and was deployed to Europe in |
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November 1944; and |
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WHEREAS, Making history as the only WAC unit of color to serve |
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overseas in World War II, the mostly African American battalion set |
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about its mission of clearing a vast backlog of undelivered mail for |
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U.S. service members, government personnel, and Red Cross workers |
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in England and France; beginning its effort in Birmingham, England, |
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the 6888th was given half a year to clear several warehouses stacked |
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to the ceilings with returned mail and packages; working in shifts |
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around the clock, the women completed their work in just three |
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months; following Victory in Europe Day, the unit was sent to Rouen, |
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France, where it once again resolved a backlog in half the time |
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allotted; and |
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WHEREAS, Adopting the motto of "No mail, low morale," the Six |
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Triple Eight served from 1945 to 1946 and demonstrated great skill |
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and efficiency in solving the military's postal issues as well as |
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tremendous resilience when encountering racism and sexism; in 2022, |
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the battalion was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest |
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civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. Congress; in February 2025, the |
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George W. Bush Presidential Center hosted an event in celebration |
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of the battalion; the program followed the December 2024 release of |
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the Netflix film The Six Triple Eight; and |
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WHEREAS, The 6888th had strong ties to Texas, with the unit |
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serving at Amarillo Army Air Field and Camp Maxey; Texan women who |
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served in the unit included Private First Class Hazel Jones Allen, |
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Private Bessie Booker-Lusk, Private Erma Pauline Boyd, Technician |
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Fifth Grade Ruth Verjil Reuben Brown, Private First Class Freddie |
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Williams Chinn-Kline, Technician Fifth Grade Florence Marie |
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Cole-Rawls, Private First Class Marguerite J. Ellis-Parker, Staff |
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Sergeant Jaunita Jewel Goodloe, Private First Class Mary Louise |
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Hill, Private First Class Mildred Lois Hooper, Private First Class |
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Paulene Adrienne Lewis Hopkins, Corporal Dorothy Lee Howard, |
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Technician Fifth Grade Ernestine Elizabeth Hughes-Thompson, |
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Private First Class Georgia Clarence Hughes-Jones, Private First |
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Class Ella Mae Jackson, Staff Sergeant Jerrell Lawrence, Private |
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First Class Catherine Lee, Sergeant Lucille Lewis-Smith, Sergeant |
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Ruby Lee McClung, Private Martha Anna McKnight, Private First Class |
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Ophelia Mills-Outley, Private First Class Helen Beatrice Minor, |
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Sergeant Catherine Louise Nelson-Bowie, Sergeant Ruby Jessie May |
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O'Brien, Private First Class Essie Oralea O'Riley, Technician Fifth |
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Grade Mablyne Ortiz, Private First Class Kate Louise Pate-Walker, |
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Private Essie Lee Penn-Underwood, Private Mildred Elizabeth |
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Peterson, Second Lieutenant Calonia V. Powell-Boykin, Technician |
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Fifth Grade Jewell G. Rettig, Private Minerva Loraine Revernal, |
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Private Eddie Toliver Richards, Private First Class Winnie Beatrice |
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Richardson-West, Private First Class Onnie Lois Roberts-Stanley, |
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Technician Fourth Grade Florida Elizabeth Robey, Private First |
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Class Erma L. Smith, Private First Class Lucille Smith, Technician |
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Fourth Grade Rose Stuart, Private Millie Mary Taylor-Moore, |
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Corporal Johnnie Mae Walton, Private First Class Myrtle Elizabeth |
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Wright, and Private Mable Jeannette Zenon-Williams; and |
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WHEREAS, Inspired by a deep sense of patriotism and a |
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devotion to duty, the members of the 6888th Central Postal |
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Directory Battalion made a significant impact on future generations |
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of women in the military, and it is a privilege to join in honoring |
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their enduring legacy; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commend the 6888th Central Postal Directory |
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Battalion for its outstanding contributions during World War II. |