N.J. designates May 18 as Six Triple Eight Day to celebrate Black all-female World War II unit

When World War II ended, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion disbanded in 1946 at Fort Dix in New Jersey, with little fanfare.

The battalion of mostly African American women had played a crucial but overlooked role, clearing a backlog of millions of pieces of mail sent overseas to soldiers in Europe. They were given six months to complete the task, but finished in just three.

The service of the 855 women went largely untold until Tyler Perry’s 2024 Netflix film The Six Triple Eight brought attention to the story of World War II’s only Women’s Army Corps unit of color.

Among the group were at least 28 women from New Jersey, and a law signed last week by Gov. Phil Murphy will recognize their contributions. The law designates May 18 as an annual observance of Six Triple Eight Day.

“We’re proud of our history. This should be an inspiration,” said State Sen. Shirley Turner, (D., Mercer), who cosponsored the bill along with Sen. Renee Burgess, (D., Essex).

Turner and others are expected to observe Six Triple Eight Day at the grave of Marion VanOrkey at Allentown Methodist Cemetery, in Monmouth County. There will be a wreath ceremony and a gun salute.

“It’s a long time coming,” said VanOrkey’s niece, Hope Ray. “I‘m glad that they are being recognized for what they did.”

The Allentown Village Initiative petitioned Turner to sponsor the bill honoring VanOrkey, who died in 2004 at 89, and the 6888. May 18 was chosen because it is VanOrkey’s birthday.

“It’s just a shame that it didn’t happen while she was alive,” said Michael McCormick, who helped organize the ceremony for the historical group.

Born in 1914, VanOrkey was one of eight children and grew up in central New Jersey’s Allentown. She joined the Women’s Air Corps and was a driver before moving to the 6888.

When she returned home, VanOrkey, who never married or had children, didn’t talk about her military service, Ray said. Some family members only recently learned about her involvement in the 6888, she said.

“She didn’t like a lot of attention,” Ray recalled.

For years, many of the women were reluctant to discuss their experiences until they began to receive recognition for their history-making service.

Nearly 80 years after pulling off a seemingly impossible task, last month the 6888 was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. Only two members are still alive; the women’s descendants will receive their medals.

“A lot of these stories are untold,” said retired Army Col. Edna Cummings, who championed the congressional medal passage. “Every veteran has a story.”

» READ MORE: Black female WWII unit, ‘Six Triple Eight,’ receives congressional medal

The women cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of undelivered mail in three months, getting the mail to soldiers who had grown frustrated by not hearing from people back home.

Led by Major Charity Adams, the highest-ranking female African American officer, the women endured racism and sexism. They worked in horrible conditions around the clock in eight-hour shifts, seven days a week.

Created in 1944, the battalion’s motto was “No mail, low morale.” The unit developed a system of locator cards with service members’ names and unit numbers to ensure mail was delivered, processing 65,000 pieces of mail per shift.

Despite their success, like other Black units in World War II, for years they didn’t get the same recognition as white counterparts.

The unit’s story has gained wider recognition in recent years. A monument was erected to honor them in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A 2019 documentary The Six Triple Eight featured their stories.

Cummings said Maryland and the District of Columbia have days honoring the women, and other states, including Delaware and Ohio, are also considering designating a Six Triple Eight Day. She hopes more will follow to honor “these phenomenal women” who paved the way for generations of Black women to join the military.

Sandra Jordan, of Mount Laurel, whose mother, Pfc. Anna Knight Jordan, was a member of the 6888, has joined the efforts to get recognition for the women. She testified at a hearing in Trenton to support the bill.

“These are not ordinary women,” said Jordan. “These women were bold and brave.”

Jordan said the Netflix movie was mostly accurate, but took some artistic license. She wants to make sure the unfettered story is told and has been tracking down other 6888th offspring to learn more about their mothers. A sister, Carmen Jordan-Cox, has a podcast about the 6888th.

Her mother enlisted in Washington, D.C., after convincing her best friend to also join, and is not included in the New Jersey group.

In her memoir, Anna Jordan recalled undergoing basic training, learning cryptography to decode secret messages, and traveling with the 6888th to Europe aboard the Queen Mary in March 1945.

» READ MORE: Volunteers uncovering hundreds of graves at historic South Jersey cemetery for Black vets, former enslaved people

Jordan said she suffered from seasickness and was hospitalized for three days. Upon arrival in Birmingham, England, the women were housed in a converted horse stable, Jordan wrote.

“We only had cold water for bathing and used our helmets to hold the water, instead of the sinks,” she wrote.

Following her military service, Jordan attended Howard University on the GI bill and married Carl Jordan, her college sweetheart. They settled in Savannah, Ga.

While living in the Delair section of Pennsauken, Sgt. Hilda P. Griggs joined the WAC in December 1943. She enlisted in Philadelphia because she didn’t want her mother to know, said her niece, Marlene Griggs-Warner.

It is believed that Griggs joined the military because she was heartbroken after her fiancé died of pneumonia, she said.

After an honorable discharge in March 1946, Griggs served with civil service in the Marine Corps Supply and retired in 1976. She never married or had children; she died in 2022.

Because she enlisted in Philadelphia, Griggs is also not listed with the New Jersey group. Her niece said the family was pleased that she had been honored by Camden County officials.

“She never thought it was a big deal what they did,“ Griggs-Warner said. ”She said `I did my job.’”

The family plans to hold a ceremony at Griggs’ grave at Lakeview Cemetery in Cinnaminson at 3 p.m. on Sunday to mark Six Triple Eight Day, Griggs-Warner said.

The law designating May 18 as Six Triple Eight Day pays tribute to the following 28 women from New Jersey who served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion:

The Associated Press contributed to this article.