The legendary 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the only all-Black, all-female unit deployed during World War II — will soon have its day on the silver screen.
Actor, comedian and director Tyler Perry will produce the war movie “Six Triple Eight” for Netflix, according to a release from the streaming platform.
“The 6888th Battalion contributed to the war effort in a unique way: by sorting through a three-year backlog of undelivered mail and delivering the mail to American soldiers far from home,” the release notes. “In the face of discrimination and a vast, unfamiliar country divided by a global conflict, these 855 women brought hope to the front lines.”
Efforts by the battalion, which was helmed by Maj. Charity Adams — the first Black woman to commission with the U.S. Army — were essential for service members eager to hear from loved ones back home. The backlog of mail they sorted in Birmingham, England, was set to take six months to sort and pass along to the front lines. However, the 6888th Battalion was so efficient that they did it in three. The same thing happened when they were transferred to Rouen, France.
“When they completed their mission, the women of the 6888th had broken all records for redirecting mail, sorting an average of 5.85 million parcels per month,” the Arlington National Cemetery records indicate.
Despite facing racial discrimination, the personnel of the 6888th helped blaze a trail for the diversification of the U.S. military.
“They proved, like others had before them, that African American women wanted to serve their country nobly in a time of crisis, and they provided an enduring legacy for future generations of military women,” the Arlington archives note.
Perry reportedly based the movie’s script on a 2021 WWII History magazine article by Kevin M. Hymel, according to Netflix.
The streaming service, for which Perry has directed three prior projects, has not yet announced a release date.
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.
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