Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The 855 women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, better known as the Six Triple Eight, were given a mission to sort a 2- year backlog of mail consisting of millions of letters. But these women did more than just sort and distribute this backlog in record time. As the largest contingent of African-American women to serve overseas during World War II, the Six Triple Eight demonstrated successfully that African-American women could and should be included in the ranks of the military. Throughout their time overseas, the Six Triple Eight had a motto: ``No mail, low morale.'' Beginning in February 1945, with their arrival in Birmingham, England, the Six Triple Eight perfected their sorting processes, setting up three 8-hour shifts running 7 days a week. At peak efficiency, they processed for delivery 65,000 pieces of mail per shift. Army leadership estimated it would take between 6 months and a year to clear the backlog of mail. The women of the Six Triple Eight did it in 3 months. The Six Triple Eight were then moved to Rouen, France, where they continued their mission, often working in cold, dark, and damp conditions and alongside German prisoners of war and French civilians. Finally, this group of women was moved to Paris, where they remained, sorting and distributing mail to American troops through May 1946. In all, the Six Triple Eight were estimated to have distributed 17 million pieces of mail.…”