Historian uncovers largely unknown story of the 6888 Battalion with Maryland ties

CBS News

22-02-2025

'The 6 Triple Eight', an American war drama, has become Tyler Perry's most-watched Netflix film.
Viewed close to 75 million times, it tells the largely unknown story of the all-black, all-woman 6888 postal battalion, the only such battalion to ever serve overseas during World War II.
The movie was inspired by an article written by a military historian who interviewed the few surviving members of the battalion.
However, to understand their story, you must go back to 1947, when then-President Harry Truman desegregated the army and had the records of almost all the black units destroyed. This "we're all one" gesture was originally meant to signify that the U.S. army was all-inclusive, despite civil rights strides throughout the U.S.
Truman's efforts made it extremely tough for historian Kevin Hymel when he was asked to write an article about the 6888 Battalion on the occasion of a monument being erected for the brave women.
"This story really hadn't been told for almost 80 years when I wrote my first article about them," Hymel said. "The biggest thing I learned...there was a black unit of women in Europe in World War II. I had no idea!"
Kevin wrote his second article on the 6888 in 2018, as the postal directory monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas was to be unveiled. He contacted the few remaining veterans including 94-year-old, Lena Derricott King.
"At 94-years-old she was still cooking her own meals and going out every Saturday night dancing. At 94 years old this is an amazing woman...was an amazing woman," Hymel said.
Lena's story is featured in the film.
"I think the movie did an amazing job..."
Before Kevin's article came out, his publisher reached out to Hollywood producers, who then called Kevin.
"One day they called and said, 'Tyler Perry is going to be calling you. He's very interested in the movie. I thought, 'Right, Tyler Perry is going to call me'," Kevin said sarcastically. "And sure enough, two days later Tyler Perry called me"
Kevin then became the military history advisor on the film.
"I think the movie did an amazing job of showing the dignity of these women that went into an unknown atmosphere. Not just a war zone, but a zone where they were not wanted in certain ways and proved themselves and kind of rose above and showed what they could do," he explained.
What they did was disentangle a mail system that wasn't working.
"This mail has been sitting here for over 10 months. The soldiers have not heard from their loved ones and their loved ones have not heard from them," said Kerry Washington as she played Major Charity Adams in the film.
Letters and packages hadn't been distributed to soldiers for close to a year.
"When there is no mail, there is no morale. But all that said, this is our mission and we will not fail," Major Adams says during an inspirational moment as she gives a speech to the 6888 battalion.
In just 90 days, 17 million pieces of mail were sent out. However, it's important to note that this is at a time when the military environment wasn't always welcoming, especially while training in the U.S.
"...where they [were] met with all kinds of prejudices [that] they really were not prepared for," Kevin added. "Being completely ignored by your officers, or having one of your fellow soldiers, a white female, throw glasses of water over the stall while you're trying to go to the bathroom in the ladies' room."
"I was happy, and I was sad..."
Karen Taylor grew up hearing stories like this from her mother, Second Lieutenant Vivian Elzie Taylor. She and 18 other Maryland women volunteered for the 6888.
While the work was hard, Karen says her mother loved being overseas.
"It was not like the U.S. In the U.S., we couldn't go...she couldn't go to restaurants," Karen said.
She told WJZ's Denise Koch that she has seen the Tyler Perry film at least 5 times since it was released on December 6, 2024.
"I was happy, and I was sad," Karen said as she reflected on the film. "The sad part was I'm sitting here watching a story that no one knew about."
"So many women in the 6888 came home and almost never spoke about their service...They served their country. They came home and got on with their lives. And it's amazing that the story is finally being told to a larger audience," Kevin rejoiced. "And those few women survivors, and more importantly their descendants, should be so proud of the movie and the service that their mothers and aunts, you know, and anyone related to the 6888 accomplished in World War II."