13-02-2025
I accidentally found out my mother's role in WWII. Now I'm honoring women like her.
There is a rich heritage of African American history in our country that is unknown. Therefore, it is an honor when someone discovers that their own ancestor(s) had a part in the history of our country. I recently felt that sense of honor and gratitude after accidentally finding out about my mother's service in World War Il, in which she ended up a corporal.
My siblings and I always knew that our mom, Virgie Lee Caywood, was a WAC (Women's Army Corps) but we never knew the details, nor did we understand its historical significance. It wasn't until Tyler Perry released his movie, "The Six Triple Eight," in December 2024 on Netflix, that we realized that this was what our mother did and that this was also our history. A friend of ours saw the movie and recognized our mother's name at the end of the movie in the list of women who served in the Six Triple Eight. She then notified us via Facebook of her discovery. This sparked an interest in not only seeing the movie but a passion to learn more about this group of phenomenal women.
During WWll, it was brought to the attention of President Franklin Roosevelt that morale was low among the soldiers because they were not receiving any of their mail, and their families were not receiving communication from the soldiers. These women were assigned to resolve the issue of about a two-year backlog of mail in Europe — first in Birmingham, England, then in Rouen, France. Other groups had attempted this feat with no success. They were given six months to resolve the backlog of 17 million pieces of mail, some of which was rat infested. They created systems to process this mail and accomplished their goal in 90 days under terrible conditions.
I am a former resident of Arkansas, but I have lived in Kentucky for almost 37 years. After my discovery about my mother's service, it became a passion to help locate families of other 6888 members from Arkansas and Kentucky.
My mother was among 16 women from Arkansas who served in the 6888. There were 18 women from Kentucky who served in this unit. They are as follows: Adams, Henrietta G T5; Blythe, Jennetta Schooler CPL; Brock, Emma H PFC; Chambers, Effie PVT; Coleman, Alberta CPL; Cox, Venus B PVT; Cross, Minnie Grace PFC; Gill, Marilyn E T4; Hammond, Ruth Henrielle CPL; Harris, Norene SSG; Hayden, Vivian G PFC; Jackson, Julia M PVT; Longmire, Sara Elizabeth PFC; Marshall, Grant Esther PVT; Miller, Evelyn Eva PVT; Nelson, Carrie Ethel PFC; Ricketts, Adele PFC; and Saunders, Nettie Mae PVT.
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In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 into Public Law 117-97. There is also a 6888 monument in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, that has information about the battalion and the names of all 855 (or more) listed. You can view the monument online.
I encourage those who are related to or know any of the women listed above to contact Ms. K Jordan at ktjordan6888@ so the database can be updated and to receive any updated information about the 6888th. I also encourage you to continue researching this battalion and their accomplishments, watch the movie, watch documentaries, read books, listen to podcasts and tell your children and their children about the vital role their ancestors have played in American history. It is our duty to pass it on and make sure the story never stops.
Donna F. Lewis is a retired elementary music teacher who lives in Richmond, Kentucky.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Black women like my mother boosted morale during WWII | Opinion
