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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 867 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 867

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and celebrating Black History 
                                 Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2020

    Mr. Brown of Maryland (for himself and Ms. Moore) submitted the 
  following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and celebrating Black History 
                                 Month.

Whereas, since 1976, the United States has celebrated Black History Month each 
        February to seize the opportunity to honor the accomplishments of 
        African Americans in every area of endeavor throughout the history of 
        the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States honor the 6888th Central Postal 
        Directory Battalion (referred to in this preamble as the ``6888th''), 
        which was the first and only African-American unit in the Women's Army 
        Corps to deploy overseas during World War II;
Whereas the 6888th consisted of 855 Black women, both enlisted and officers, who 
        served honorably in Europe during World War II from February 1945 to 
        February 1946;
Whereas First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged the military to provide 
        meaningful positions for Black women to serve in the war overseas;
Whereas during World War II there was a significant shortage of postal workers 
        across the European Theater;
Whereas the 6888th was a self-sufficient unit consisting mainly of postal 
        clerks, but also cooks, mechanics, and other support positions;
Whereas the 6888th trained at Fort Oglethrope, Georgia, and deployed overseas to 
        Birmingham, England, in February 1945;
Whereas once the 6888th arrived in Birmingham, they were met with rooms full of 
        mail stacked from floor to ceiling, dating as far back as 2 years;
Whereas much of the mail was difficult to sort, often only addressed to first 
        names or nicknames;
Whereas the 6888th devised a system to handle the backlog and worked in 3 shifts 
        around-the-clock, sorting millions of pieces of mail;
Whereas the project was estimated to take 6 months to complete, but the 
        battalion finished the task in an impressive 3 months in May 1945;
Whereas the 6888th went on to Rouen and Paris, France, to address other backlogs 
        of mail as old as 3 years, again with remarkable speed, accuracy, and 
        professionalism;
Whereas members of the 6888th were awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, 
        the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Good Conduct 
        Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal during their service; and
Whereas Black History Month provides all individuals in the United States an 
        opportunity to celebrate the contributions of African Americans, 
        including the remarkable service of the 6888th: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) during Black History Month encourages all individuals 
        in the United States to celebrate the history of the United 
        States and the important accomplishments and contributions of 
        African Americans; and
            (2) appreciates the contributions of and sacrifices made by 
        the soldiers of the Women's Army Corps assigned to the 6888th 
        Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II, who 
        served honorably and are members of the ``Greatest 
        Generation''.
                                 <all>
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