The only all-female, Black unit to serve in Europe during World War II will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal more than 75 years later.
. The law recognizes "their pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to increase the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater of operations during World War II."
"The women of the Six Triple Eight have earned a special place in history for their service to our nation, and as of today, their sacrifice is enshrined into law with the highest distinction Congress can bestow," Moran said in a statement last week.The Ghost Army refers to a secret unit that used inflatable equipment, sound effects, radio trickery, and other deceptions to draw enemy forces away from American units, saving an estimated 30,000 lives.By 1945, roughly 7 million U.S.
While the unit didn’t go to the frontlines, its soldiers still had to go through weeks of basic training, which included obstacle courses and gas mask drills, Guise said. The women also studied enemy aircraft, ships and weapons, learned to board and evacuate ships, and even went on long marches with rucksacks, according to the DoD.
Women's Army Corps Cpl. Alyce Dixon poses with members of her unit during World War II. She and about 850 other black women served with the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion in England and France. The battalion was responsible for clearing a backlogAttempted mail deliveries were also frequently bounced back since service members were often moving locations. As a result, the unit had to then re-sort the mail, find a new location for its recipient and try again.
Housing, mess halls and recreation facilities were segregated by race and sex, forcing them to set up all their own operations. Adams, the unit commander, was also criticized by a general who threatened to give her command to a White officer. She reportedly responded, "Over my dead body, sir." When three members of the unit died in a Jeep crash in early July 1945, the U.S. War Department didn't provide funds for their funerals, according to the DoD. This prompted the unit to gather its own money to perform the services to bury the fallen women in Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.
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