 In February 1945, the U.S. Army sent 855 black women from the Women's Army Corps (WACs) to England and France to clear the backlog of mail in the European Theater of Operations. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the SixTripleEight, was the only all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII. Confronted with racism and sexism from their own leadership and troops, they served with honor and distinction completing their mission in six months. By war's end, the SixTripleEight had cleared over 17 million pieces of backlogged mail ensuring the troops stayed in touch with their loved ones back home. The last of the women returned home in March 1946. They were never fully recognized…until now.  My grandmother, Sylvia Benton, and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion My grandmother was my role model. I've wanted to be like her my entire life. She broke barriers with an easy smile and without fear. Her name was Sylvia Benton and she served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II, of which she was fiercely proud. She was a Titan among mortals, a true embodiment of citizenship in a Republic. My grandmother was the matriarch of our family, a community leader, and a small business owner; she was also a proud, active member of the Veteran community. She instilled discipline and pride into her children and their children. But she was also the kindest, most generous person I ever met. In 1945, my grandmother lived in Savannah, GA. That year, she enlisted in the WAC and was assigned to the legendary 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-female, all-Black battalion to serve in the combat zone. Her unit would come to be known as the Six Triple Eight, and they were given the unenviable task of delivering millions of pieces of unprocessed mail to troops on the front lines. There were reports that the lack of reliable mail delivery was hurting morale. The Army was not able to complete this mission so they turned to the Six Triple Eight for help........ Read more |  Veteran News Network: Television for Veterans, by Veterans A new way VA is working to build trust, improve health outcomes and improve the Veteran experience is through the Veteran News Network (VNN). VNN is a television channel developed for Veterans, largely by Veterans. The TV channel is currently being used by more than 130+ VA Medical Centers and Clinical Based Outpatient Clinics across the country. Veterans Watch Veteran News Network while awaiting their medical appointments Created in response to customer feedback drawn from Veteran Signals surveys, VNN gives medical centers and clinics increased flexibility as it represents an alternative to the cable news and typical daytime television programming. The channel offers a mix of entertaining, informative and inspiring Veteran-centric content 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This makes VNN a powerful public health tool while simultaneously offering Veterans a sense of community through shared experience....... Read more | |
No comments:
Post a Comment