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Welcome back, Deep Divers.
Today, we're going to jump into a story from World War II.
Um, yeah.
You might think you've heard it all when it comes to that era.
You know what I mean, but trust me, this one's really something else.
It's incredible.
It's incredible to uncover the history of the 6-Townin 888th Central Postal Directory
Battalion.
The only all-black, all-female unit to serve overseas in the Women's Army Corps during
World War II.
It's pretty amazing.
Yeah.
And their mission, well, it wasn't exactly on the front lines.
Right.
It was still really important to the war effort.
Absolutely.
And amazingly, it was practically forgotten about for decades.
It's crazy, right?
And you think about, well, you know.
Whose stories get told.
Yeah, exactly.
And whose get left behind.
To piece together this journey, we're using this really fascinating article about the
688th, along with some insights into the making of our...
Titer Parries.
Titer Parries, yeah.
New Netflix film, The 6888.
Which is bringing their story to a whole new audience.
It's a perfect example of how history is just full of these incredible untold stories.
Yes.
It's just waiting to be discovered.
So, okay.
Picture this.
It's February 1945.
D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge are behind us.
Okay.
But the war in Europe is still raging on.
And there's this problem brewing.
Problem that's piling up, literally, in warehouses across England.
Millions and millions of pieces of unsorted mail.
Oh, wow.
Some of it dating back years.
That's...
I mean, we're talking about a serious backlog here.
Can you imagine?
Like the logistical nightmare?
But it's not just about the amount of mail you know.
It's about the impact this delay was having on the troops.
You have to remember.
Yeah.
For soldiers on the front lines, letters from home, those were their lifeline.
Wow.
Yeah.
I mean, think about it.
A world without instant communication.
Right.
Letters were everything.
They were a connection to loved ones.
Yeah.
A reminder of what they were fighting for.
Source of hope.
Yeah.
Comfort.
Yeah.
In the midst of just unimaginable hardship.
Yeah.
And we really get that, you know.
That level of just dependence on physical letters in our digital age.
I know.
But back then, you know, not having that connection, that tangible link to home.
It had a real impact on morale.
Oh, absolutely.
And that could affect like the whole war effort.
Exactly.
And that's where the 6888th comes in.
Okay.
Yeah.
This battalion, about 850 black women, led by major charity Adams.
Who at the time was the highest ranking black woman in the army.
Wow.
Was tasked with tackling this mountain of mail.
They were sent to Birmingham, England.
That's right.
And what did they find when they got there?
A freezing cold, rat infested warehouse.
Oh my gosh.
Filled to the brim with unsorted letters and packages.
That is, what a daunting task.
It was.
And they were given a deadline of just six months.
Six months.
To clear the entire backlog.
That it almost sounds impossible.
Yeah.
The pressure, the scale of the task would be overwhelming for anyone.
What stands out to you about how the women of the 6888th approached this challenge?
Well one of the things that's so remarkable about them is that they didn't just see it
as a job.
They understood the deeper significance of their mission.
There's a quote from one of the veterans in the article that really captures this.
She said, quote, no male, low morale.
Wow.
They knew their work had a direct impact on the fighting spirit of the troops.
So they weren't just postal workers.
They were fighting a battle on the home front.
Ensuring that vital connection between soldiers and their families.
It adds a whole new layer of meaning to their work.
It does.
And it's their ingenuity and their sheer determination that shines through.
They developed this unique system for processing the male, working around the clock.
And three eight hour shifts to keep things moving.
I read that they were even nicknamed like the round the clockers.
Because of their 24-7 operation.
And they weren't just sorting.
They were practically detective.
They had to track down soldiers who had been transferred or hospitalized, decipher incomplete
addresses and even deal with cases where soldiers had been killed in action.
Imagine the emotional toll that must have taken on them.
Working with those war casualties day in and day out.
It's heartbreaking to even think about.
I know.
Yet they persevered.
They did.
They pushed through and the results are astounding.
They cleared the entire backlog in just three months.
Three months.
That's half the time they were given.
I know.
It's incredible.
It's a testament to their efficiency, their work ethic, their commitment to the mission,
their commitment.
They truly defied expectations.
It makes you wonder like, what was their secret?
I know.
How did they manage to be so incredibly efficient in such a chaotic environment?
What were some of the specific innovations?
For starters, they realized they couldn't rely on those traditional methods.
Millions of letters addressed to like John Smith or with incomplete addresses.
They had to get creative.
I bet.
One of their most ingenious tactics was creating a massive registry of soldiers' names using
whatever information they could get from the letters themselves.
So, they were like piecing together these individual stories, like puzzles, just to get
them out to the right person.
It sounds like almost like a military operation in itself.
It was.
I know.
They had to think outside the box and develop their own unique solutions.
Another key innovation was their system of color coding and cross-referencing.
They would use these different color tags to indicate things like a soldier's unit or
location or status, which allowed them to quickly identify and redirect mail.
Wow.
They were basically creating their own postal database from scratch in the middle of a war.
I know.
Talk about resourcefulness under pressure.
That's incredible.
But it wasn't just like the logistical challenges they had to deal with.
No.
Right.
They were also facing another battle.
Right.
A battle against, well, discrimination and prejudice.
Sadly, even while soothing their country, these women, they had to face the realities of racism
and sexism, both in the army and in British society.
Oh.
They were often subjected to unfair treatment, denied basic amenities, faced with hostility
and disrespect.
That's terrible.
The article mentions this one incident where they were forced to sit separately in a movie
theater simply because of their race.
It's a stark reminder of the injustices they faced, even as they were making such a vital
contribution to the war effort.
Did this experience of discrimination affect their morale at all?
You might think it would, but from what I've read, it seems it had the opposite effect.
The 600 and 888th refused to be defined by the prejudice.
Wow.
Instead, they used it as fuel to prove their worth.
That's amazing.
And to create this community of support and solidarity within their ranks.
So they turned this adversity into a source of strength.
They did.
That's incredible.
I'd love to learn more about how they built this sense of community, this esprit de corps,
in the face of such challenges.
Oh, they weren't just a unit.
They were a sisterhood.
Right.
They were the internal support systems, their own social structures.
They organized their own mess hall, their own motor pool, even their own sports teams
to boost morale.
It sounds like they were determined to create their own space, their own sense of agency
within the confines of the military structure.
That's true.
They were trailblazers.
They were.
Not just in their service, but in their resilience and their refusal to be silenced or marginalized.
Exactly.
And speaking of individual stories of resilience, there's one veteran whose story really stands
out.
Yeah.
Lena King.
Lena's story is incredibly powerful.
What drew her to enlist in the army in the first place?
Well, it's a story tinged with both sorrow and determination.
She joined the army to honor a childhood friend who had been killed in combat.
Imagine carrying that weight, that grief, and still stepping up to serve.
Facing all the risks and uncertainties that came with it.
It's hard to fathom the emotional burden she must have carried.
I know.
And yet, the article emphasizes her consistently positive attitude, her ability to find joy
and laughter, even in the midst of war.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it?
It does.
It makes you wonder what allowed her to maintain that spirit, that optimism, despite facing
ridicule, fear, even threats to her life on top of the grief of losing her friend.
It's incredible.
It is.
It speaks to an incredible inner strength.
It does.
And resilience.
And her story, like so many others, within the 60s and 8888, reminds us that history isn't
just about grand narratives and sweeping battles.
It's about individual lives, individual acts of courage, and the often unsung heroes who
shape the course of events.
And sadly, when the 60s and 8888 returned home after the war, they were met with very
little fanfare.
Their contributions were largely forgotten.
Their stories left untold for far too long.
It's a common theme, unfortunately.
It is, yeah.
The contributions of marginalized groups, especially in wartime, often get overlooked
or downplayed.
Yeah.
It's a sobering reminder of how history is written and whose voices are amplified and
whose are silenced.
But thankfully, there are people working to change that, to bring these stories to light.
Like military historian Kevin Heimel, whose research was instrumental in uncovering and
sharing the story of the 60s and 8888.
This work has been crucial.
In bringing their story to a wider audience, his articles were even a key source for Tyler
Perry's upcoming film.
That's amazing.
Which is bringing the 6888 story to a whole new generation.
And in 2022, they finally received the Congressional Gold Medal, long overdue recognition for their
incredible service during World War II.
It's a fitting tribute.
It is.
But it also raises an important question.
How many other stories like this are out there waiting to be discovered and honored?
How many other unsung heroes have been relegated to the footnotes of history?
That is a thought provoking question.
It is.
It makes you wonder about all the hidden histories, all the untold stories that are still out there
waiting to be brought to light.
And that brings us to Taylor Perry's the 6888, a film that's aiming to do just that.
To bring the story of these incredible women to the forefront.
I think that's why projects like Tyler Perry's the 6888 are so important.
They bring these stories to a wider audience.
They help to ensure that these women and their contributions aren't forgotten.
Absolutely.
And the fact that Perry is such a prominent filmmaker is the one telling the story adds
another layer of significance, don't you think?
It's about representation, about making sure that these voices are heard.
That history is told from multiple perspectives.
It does and in this case it seems like Perry was really committed to getting it right.
He based the film on Kevin Heimel's research.
Interviews with veterans like Lena King.
Even brought Heimel on as a technical advisor to ensure historical accuracy.
I read that Perry and Heimel spent hours pouring over old photographs, military records, even
personal letters to get the details just right.
It's amazing.
It sounds like a real collaboration.
It was a merging of artistic vision and historical research.
It was.
And it seems like those details really made a difference, bringing the story to life.
There's this story about how Heimel mentioned that major charity Adams, she always wore
these yellow gloves to distinguish herself from the other women.
And Kerry Washington, who plays major Adams in the film, immediately incorporated that
detail into her performance.
Wow, those little touches make such a big difference.
They can?
Creating a sense of authenticity, bringing a historical figure to life.
They can.
It's about capturing not just the events, but the spirit of the time, the personality of
the people involved.
And it seems Perry was really attuned to that.
The article mentions that he even brought in choreographer Debbie Allen to work with
the extras who were playing the 600, 800, 88th women.
He wanted to make sure all those scenes of the women marching and working were just absolutely
perfect.
Wow, that level of attention to detail is pretty impressive.
It is.
Especially when you consider the scale of the film, it wasn't just about recreating the
postal work.
It was about recreating a whole world.
A whole era.
It involved hundreds of extras, period costumes, sets, vehicles.
It must have been a massive undertaking.
It was.
And it seems like there were some unexpected challenges along the way.
The article mentions that Perry was initially overwhelmed by the sheer number of extras
needed to portray the women of the 688, and the combat soldiers.
It was unlike anything he'd done before, directing that many people at once.
I can imagine.
But it sounds like he embraced the challenge.
And with Debbie Allen's help, managed to create some really powerful and visually stunning
scenes.
That's incredible.
And there's this one moment on set that seems to have had a really profound impact on Perry.
A crew member brought in Charity Adams' original trunk, which had been preserved all these
years.
It contained her uniform.
Really?
Letters, pictures.
It was like this time capsule.
Wow.
A direct link to the past.
What an incredible find.
I know.
It must have felt like these women were right there on set with them, guiding the whole
process.
Yeah, it gives me chills just thinking about it.
Me too.
It seems like Perry felt the same way.
He described it as a sign that these women wanted their story told.
Wow.
That they were somehow present in that moment.
It makes you realize the weight of responsibility that comes with telling these kinds of stories.
You're not just making a film.
You're honoring a legacy preserving a part of history that might otherwise be forgotten.
Exactly.
And it seems like Perry took that responsibility really seriously.
I read that he even made sure to show Lena King an early cut of the film.
And her reaction was so moving.
She laughed.
She cried.
She even saluted the screen at one point.
I love that.
It must have been so validating.
It must have been.
For both her and Perry to see this story come to life in such a powerful way.
It must have.
And it's sad to think that neither Lena nor Romay Davis, the oldest surviving member
of the unit at the time, will be here to see the film's premiere.
Oh no.
Me too.
January this year at the age of 100.
Oh my gosh.
The age of 104.
Oh wow.
It's bittersweet, isn't it?
They got to see their story honored to know that their legacy would live on through this
film.
Right.
But they won't be there to witness its impact on the world.
But their stories, their spirits are woven into the fabric of the film.
Absolutely.
You know, and that's what makes this more than just entertainment.
It's a testament to their courage, their resilience and the often overlooked contributions
of black women during World War II.
That's true.
It's also a timely reminder, I think, about the importance of preserving history.
Of sharing all stories, even the uncomfortable ones.
The article mentions that Perry expressed concern about the trend of banning books and censoring
certain parts of history.
It's scary.
He sees the 6888 as a way to push back against that trend.
Absolutely.
It's clear that these voices are heard, that these stories are not erased.
It's a valid concern.
It is.
When we try to erase or downplay certain aspects of history, we lose sight of the bigger picture.
We lose sight of the diverse voices and experiences that have shaped who we are today.
Absolutely.
Like 6888's story is a perfect example of why we need to fight against that kind of censorship.
I mean, these women's contributions were almost forgotten.
It's true.
They were nearly lost.
Imagine if we didn't have people like Kevin Heimel digging into the archives, uncovering
these hidden gems, sharing them with the world.
Imagine if Tyler Perry hadn't been moved to bring this story to life.
Yeah.
We'd be missing out on such a crucial piece of history.
We would.
It's not just about the past.
These stories have relevance for us today.
They do, yeah.
They inspire us, challenge us, and help us to understand the complexities of our own
world.
So as we wrap up this part of our deep dive into the story of the 6888th, let's shift
gears a bit and talk about those connections to the present.
What can we here in the 21st century learn from these women and their experiences?
What resonates with you the most?
Well, on a fundamental level, it's a story about perseverance, about overcoming obstacles,
and about the power of community.
These women faced unimaginable challenges, both in terms of the task at hand and the
societal prejudices they encountered.
It's true.
And yet they persevered.
They did.
They found strength in each other.
They innovated.
They adapted, and they ultimately triumphed.
It's a powerful message, isn't it?
It is.
That even in the face of adversity, even when the odds seem stacked against you, you can
still achieve extraordinary things.
You can.
And it's a message that's relevant not just for individuals, but for entire communities,
for entire nations.
Absolutely.
The 6888th story reminds us that progress is often hard won, but it's always worth fighting
for.
Absolutely.
And we can think about all the other untold stories that are out there waiting to be discovered.
If the 6888th story was almost lost to history, what other histories might be out there hidden
in archives, or passed down through oral traditions?
It's an intriguing thought, isn't it?
It is.
And it underscores the importance of seeking out those stories, amplifying those voices
that have been marginalized or forgotten.
It's about recognizing that history is not like a monolithic entity.
It's a tapestry.
It is.
Woven from countless individual threads.
And each thread, each story deserves to be honored and remembered.
It is a tapestry.
And the more diverse those threads are, the richer and more vibrant it becomes.
And it makes you think, what stories are we still missing?
What perspectives haven't been fully explored?
If the 6888th contributions were overlooked for so long, what other narratives are waiting
to be uncovered, maybe even in our own families or communities?
It's a question we should all be asking.
I think so too.
Whose stories are we telling?
Who's are we leaving out?
What can we do to make sure that history is more inclusive?
Yeah.
That it reflects the full spectrum of human experiences.
It's a challenge.
It is.
It's also an opportunity, an opportunity to dig deeper, to listen more closely and
to broaden our understanding of the past and how it shapes us today.
The 6888th story is a powerful example of how one group of women through their determination,
their resilience, their unwavering commitment to service made a lasting impact on that world.
And their story is a reminder that heroism can take many forms.
It's not always about grand gestures or battlefield victories.
Sometimes it's about the quiet acts of courage, the everyday sacrifices, the unwavering dedication
to a cause.
That might seem smaller and insignificant, but ultimately has this profound impact on
the lives of others.
It really does.
In this case, it was about ensuring that those soldiers on the front lines received those
vital letters from home.
Letters that boosted morale, offered comfort, reminded them of what they were fighting for.
In doing so, the 6888th not only contributed to the war effort, they also helped to redefine
what it meant to be a woman, a blas woman in a society that often sought to limit their
opportunities and their voices.
They challenged societal norms, they defied expectations, and they paved the way for future
generations.
Their legacy extends far beyond those mountains of mail they sorted.
It's a legacy of strength, perseverance, community, and of the power of untold stories.
It's a legacy of strength, perseverance, and courage to reshape our understanding of the
past and inspire us to build a more just and equitable future.
And now, thanks to Tyler Perry's film, their story will reach an even wider audience.
It's a story that deserves to be told, a story that needs to be heard.
So as we wrap up this deep dive into this incredible history of the 688th Central Postal
Directory Battalion, we encourage you to learn more about these remarkable women, watch
Tyler Perry's The 6888 on Netflix, seek out Kevin Heiml's articles, and consider how their
story resonates with you with your own experiences and with the world we live in today.
And perhaps inspired by their example, you might even start digging into your own family
history, your own community's past.
To uncover those untold stories, those hidden gems of history that are waiting to be brought
to light.
Because every story matters.
Every voice deserves to be heard.
And sometimes, yeah.
It's those quiet, often overlooked stories that have the most power to change the world.
Thank you for joining us on this journey of discovery.
Until next time, keep exploring, keep questioning, and keep diving deep.
And I want to thank everybody for listening to Veterans Radio today.
I am Jim Fawcone.
It's been a pleasure to be your host.
I'm a Veterans Disability Lawyer at Legal Help for Veterans.
And you can reach us at 800-693-4800 or legalhelpforveterans.com on the web.
You can follow Veterans Radio on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet radio
shows.
By visiting us at veteransradio.org, that's veteransradio.org.
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Legal Help for Veterans, a Veterans Disability Law Firm with a national practice before the
VA.
It can help you on your claims and your appeals.
Plants can be reached at legalhelpforveterans.com or 1-800-693-4800.
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It's the paramedics of property damage, providing water damage remediation, flood water removal,
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