by Mary Adams, AWC The Hague
I recently watched the World War II historical drama The Six Triple Eight (Netflix, 2024). The Six Triple Eight is based on the true story of the only Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps (855 soldiers) that served overseas in World War II. The battalion was commanded by Major Charity Adams, the first Black woman to serve as an officer in the US Army.
One of the issues in the later years of the war was blocked mail delivery from families to soldiers and soldiers to family. Front lines moved, trucks were rerouted for supplies and mail bags began to be dumped in hangars in the UK and France. The US military had previously sent teams to revive the mail cycle, but all had failed. Care packages and mail started to rot. Morale at war and at home was low. At President Roosevelt’s urging, The Six Triple Eight accepted a 6-month postal assignment and went overseas – not knowing the full circumstances of the situation. Within three months, they had figured out a sorting and identification system and sent 17 million letters and parcels to erase the mail backlog. Their motto was “No mail, low morale.” They took another assignment in France to tackle a 3-year mail backlog. When they deployed their sorting system, it only took them five months to erase the backlog. Mind you, all of this was accomplished fighting discrimination, deprivation, and threats of segregation at every level.
In the making of the movie, director Tyler Perry interviewed survivors of the 6888 battalion. His storyline follows a young girl named Lena Derricott, who joined the Six Triple Eight battalion to serve her country. The real-life footage at the end of the film is worth all the tears. When Lena Derriecott, 100 years old, appears at the end of the movie to read her statement, it is a strong position on human rights for Black women. The original news footage and information at the end of the film had me clapping and crying at the same time. By the way, if you look carefully, you can spot Oprah Winfrey and Susan Sarandon in the cast.
Charity Adams is my new feminist hero. She was an empowered woman who refused to let gender or race disable herself or her battalion. When a Caucasian General threatened to replace her with a white officer – she stood up to him and said, “Over my dead body, sir!” Court martial charges were pressed, but she filed charges against him for language stressing racial segregation and ignoring a directive from Allied headquarters. She kept her command although gender discrimination limited later promotions to only the rank of lieutenant colonel. But her effectiveness was made clear when it took three units of men to replace her battalion after they disbanded. Adams continued to fight against segregation in the Army and helped open the doors of opportunity for African American women in the military until her death in 2002.
Twenty years later, President Biden awarded the 6888 battalion the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. On April 27, 2023, Fort Lee, Virginia was officially renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, senior commander of Fort Lee, recognized the contributions of Gregg and Adams, “Their tremendous accomplishments – from World War II through the Cold War – speak to the important history of this installation and to the courage, dignity, and devotion to duty that we strive to instill in every Soldier training here.” Adams’ inspiring service stands as a testament to her bravery, tenacity, and intellect in the face of discrimination.
