05 March 2009
World War II Black Women’s Army Unit Receives Overdue Honors
Ceremony for all-black battalion held at U.S. women’s military memorial
Washington — In early 1945, 855 African-American women, members of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps (WAC), were sent to England and given the task of sorting through millions of undelivered cards, letters and packages destined for American troops serving in Europe.
The only unit of African Americans in the WAC to serve overseas during World War II, the all-black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion worked first in Birmingham, England, and then in Rouen, France, handling the massive backlogs of mail piled from floor to ceiling in warehouses and airplane hangars. After their work was done, the women were discharged without any special recognition for what they had accomplished.
Now, almost 65 years later, three members of the 6888th — Mary Crawford Ragland, 81, Alyce Dixon, 101, and Gladys Carter, 87 — received a long-overdue thank you at a February 25 ceremony attended by military officials, soldiers, veterans, friends and family members. The event took place at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, which is located on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery near Washington.
These are “women of courage, women of fortitude, women of attitude and women of color,” said one speaker. Another noted that women of color currently serving in the military “stand on their shoulders.”
Ragland and Dixon also were present a week later when U.S. first lady Michelle Obama visited the memorial March 3 for a Women’s History Month event. “These women and thousands of others set a standard for excellence that enables women who serve today to take on even greater responsibilities,” Obama said, according to the White House.
During the February 25 ceremony, Colonel David Griffith, director of the U.S. Army Freedom Team Salute Commendation Program, which sponsored the event, noted that the 6888th consisted of women “who answered their nation’s call to service at a time where the society they had sworn to defend and protect did not recognize their right to full citizenship.” In 1945 segregation and racial discrimination still existed in many parts of the United States, voting rights for blacks were often challenged, and the armed forces were still segregated. (See “End of U.S. Military Segregation Set Stage for Rights Movement.”)
Freedom Team Salute is a program that recognizes veterans as well as the families, employers, Army civilians and others who support U.S. Army soldiers.
THE 6888TH: GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
Led by Major Charity Adams Earley, the first African-American woman officer in the Women’s Army Corps, the 6888th worked around the clock in three shifts to sort through the backlog of mail. Their task was important because mail was a significant morale booster for the troops on the front lines of the war — but it wasn’t easy. The women had to deal with dim lighting, cold weather and poor heating, and as they pared down the piles of mail, more shipments were coming in.
There was also another problem with the mail: “A lot of them sent packages and some said ‘Junior, U.S. Army’ or ‘Buster, U.S. Army,’” recalled Dixon, “but of course they had a [identification] tag number and we looked it up. But we couldn’t look it up right away — we had to use the mail to find it” by digging for clues in letters and packages to help identify the soldiers. Another challenge was the mobility of the troops — soldiers often were on the way to another location by the time their mail caught up with them.
The 6888th finished their task at Birmingham by May 1945 and then moved on to Rouen to clear out another huge backlog of mail. They were given a six-month deadline but finished in half that time. The women wanted to prove their worth: “We wanted to prove that we were Americans citizens,” Ragland said. “Our soldiers were going to war, we were their women, and we did it and we did it well.”
At the ceremony, each woman received a personalized certificate of appreciation from Freedom Team Salute, a letter of appreciation signed by the Army chief of staff and the secretary of the Army, and a U.S. Army lapel pin and decal. The regional chairperson of the National Association of Black Military Women, Master Sergeant Shirley A. Smith, faced the three honorees and saluted them.
Ragland blew kisses as she received her certificate, Dixon smiled and giggled when her age was revealed, and Carter sang, did the army “Hooah!” shout and joked with the speakers, who referred to her as “energetic.”
The honorees also thanked the people in attendance. Carter told the contemporary servicewomen, “Our pride is seeing you young women who are serving today and who have served since us.” At the reception, she referred to them as her “granddaughters,” chatting and taking pictures with them.
Dixon said: “I thank God he let me live to be 101 [to be] at this ceremony. Thank you all!”
At the end, Ragland said: “When we returned to the United States after our duty abroad, we arrived and were sent home. No parade, no welcome, no nothing. But, thank you, Jesus, we’ve received it today!”
See also Black History Month and “Veterans’ Wartime Memories Find Home in Library of Congress,” including a transcript of the experiences of Essie Woods, a member of the 6888th.
The National Postal Museum offers a brief history of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion on its Web site.
For more information on the Women in Military Service for America Memorial and Freedom Team Salute, see the organizations’ Web sites.
