Honoring Local 6888th Battalion Members

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections.  

In celebration of Black History Month, Special Collections is honoring three local members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, sparked by the recent release of The Six Triple Eight movie. 

In November 1944, a battalion of 855 enlisted African-American women drawn from the Women's Army Corps (WAC), the Army Service Forces, and the Army Air Forces, was formed as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the "Six Triple Eight." An overwhelming majority of the WACs volunteered to serve during World War II because they had relatives in the service and believed that their contributions would expedite the winning of the war.

In their first few months after forming, this group of women received training in identifying enemy aircraft, ships, and weapons; climbing ropes; boarding and evacuating ships; and marches with rucksacks. Meanwhile, overseas in Birmingham, England, airplane hangars were piling up with millions of pieces of undelivered mail intended for members of the U.S. military, U.S. Government personnel, and Red Cross workers serving in the European Theater. With mail delivery becoming increasingly difficult with the constant movement of service members across Europe, many weren't receiving any mail from home, which was detrimental to morale. 

The 6888th Battalion was sent overseas in February 1945, tasked with tackling the two-year mail backlog and restoring morale for service members abroad. This was the first and only all-Black, all-female unit of the Women's Army Corps to serve overseas during World War II. It was later reported that the unit had members of Caribbean and Mexican descent as well. 

Within three months, the mail backlog in Birmingham was cleared. The battalion tracked individual service members by maintaining about seven million information cards including serial numbers to distinguish different individuals with the same name. They investigated undeliverable and insufficiently addressed mail for clues to determine the intended recipient, and they also held the important duty of returning mail addressed to servicemembers who had been killed in action.  

The battalion deployed to France in June 1945 to clear up another 2-3 years’ worth of backlogged mail in Rouen, then the unit cleared another backlog in Paris to complete their mission before the unit was sent back to the United States in February 1946. 

Currently, the Buffalo Soldier Educational and Historical Committee has a complete list of members who served in the 6888th Battalion. According to its list, 43 members served from Texas, with three of those members living in Fort Worth at the time of their enlistment into military service. 

Members serving from Fort Worth included Technician fifth grade Florence Marie Rawls (née Cole), Sergeant First Class Helen Beatrice Minor, and Sergeant Lucille Smith (née Lewis). Florence enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in 1942, which later became the Women’s Army Corps in 1943. Helen and Lucille both enlisted in the WAC in 1943. At their time of enlistment, Florence’s civil occupation was listed as "nursemaid," Helen’s civil occupation was listed as "waitress," and Lucille’s civil occupation was listed as "teacher." They were each unmarried and without children when they enlisted for service. 

Before the 6888th Battalion was formed, Florence was honored during a dedication ceremony at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Fort Worth on June 10, 1943. A service flag was dedicated to 80 African American men and one woman, Florence Cole, serving in the armed forces. The flag was presented to two local four-star mothers, Mable Motte Barnwell and Eula Mae Brooks, each with four sons in active duty. Among the 80 men honored were Mrs. Barnwell’s sons, A. A. (Almon Angell), John, Henry, and Frederick Jr., and Mrs. Brooks’ sons, Roy, Robert F. (KIA April 25, 1945 in Italy), Marion, and Donald. Marion and Donald Brooks went on to pursue careers in the medical field after their service, and both were among the first Black physicians to practice in Fort Worth. Also among the service members being honored was Ulysses Samuel Smith, Jr., son of entrepreneur and chef Lucille Bishop Smith. 

Not much is publicly known about Helen, Lucille, and Florence’s service in the 6888th Battalion. They have each since passed, with Lucille buried in Tucson, Arizona; Helen buried in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas; and Florence buried in the New Trinity Cemetery, formerly the People’s Burial Park, in Haltom City, Texas. Florence appears to be only one of two female veterans interred at New Trinity Cemetery. 

According to Kathleen Fargey of the U.S. Army Center of Military History, the remainder of members of the 6888th Battalion returned to the United States in February 1946, and the unit was subsequently disbanded at Fort Dix, New Jersey, without further ceremony. Fargey notes that "there were no parades, no public appreciation, and no official recognition of their accomplishments." UTA Special Collections honors and recognizes the valiant service of this battalion with our deepest gratitude to these hometown heroes who served from our own community.

Sources 

Fargey, Kathleen. “6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (Women's Army Corps).” U. S. Army Center of Military History, February 14, 2014. 

Warrington, Beth A. “‘No Mail, Low Morale’ The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.” Military Review, January-February 2019. 

Young, Charles. “6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.” Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, National Park Service.