Daughters of the Directory of the 6888th.

 

EDITORIAL

By Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

Curator, Daughters of the Directory of the 6888th | https://libraries.uta.edu/news/honoring-local-6888th-battalion-members

“When They Delivered the Mail, They Delivered Us.”

In the quiet corners of Fort Worth’s history are voices that have gone unheard for too long—voices of women who wore the uniform not for glory, but for duty… not for applause, but for love of country. And today, as curator of the Daughters of the Directory of the 6888th, I am humbled to help lift up these extraordinary women who helped shape both a nation and a neighborhood.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, affectionately called the Six Triple Eight, was more than a military unit—it was a movement of courage, competence, and quiet resistance. In 1945, while war raged abroad and segregation ruled at home, these all-Black, all-female soldiers crossed oceans to deliver one thing our fighting men desperately needed: connection.

They moved mountains of mail to ensure that soldiers—many of them Black like themselves—received letters from mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Because sometimes, a letter from home was the only lifeline a weary soldier had. These women didn’t carry rifles—they carried resilience, resolve, and the responsibility to uplift morale in a military system that often didn’t acknowledge their value.

And what did they accomplish?

They didn’t just sort mail—they saved the morale of America.

By clearing a two-year backlog of undelivered letters, they made sure that the soldiers heard from home—and that home heard from the soldiers. In doing so, they stitched the emotional fabric of a nation at war, one envelope at a time.

And three of those women—Florence, Helen, and Lucille—were ours. They were Fort Worth.

They walked our streets, sat in our pews, lived in our neighborhoods—and then they laced up their boots and went to war. Not for the recognition. Not for the medals. But because they believed in a better future.

And yet, when they came back home to Texas soil, there were no parades. No medals. No proclamations. No press. Just a deep, deafening silence that lasted for generations.

But silence can’t bury truth.

In 2022, the Six Triple Eight finally received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award our nation can give. It was a long time coming—but it was never too late. And here in Fort Worth, we’ve taken that same spirit and breathed life into a new vision: The Daughters of the Directory Initiative—a community-led effort to honor, uplift, and enshrine the stories of Florence Marie Rawls, Helen Beatrice Minor, and Lucille Smith.

Through memorials, exhibits, educational programs, and public storytelling, we are saying what should’ve been said 80 years ago:

We see you. We thank you. We honor you.

This is about more than medals—it’s about reclaiming legacy.

It’s about educating our youth, especially in communities that rarely see themselves reflected in textbooks.

It’s about empowering our daughters to walk with the same grace and grit as Florence, Helen, and Lucille.

And yes, it’s about healing.

Healing the wounds of invisibility.

Healing the gap between who served and who was remembered.

Healing our city by honoring the women who served it without hesitation.

Let this editorial serve as a call to every school, every church, every library, and every citizen in Fort Worth:

Help us tell their story.

Help us teach their triumph.

Help us make sure the names of Florence, Helen, and Lucille echo louder than the silence they once faced.

Because when the daughters of the directory delivered the mail,

they saved morale, delivered history, and kept America whole.

Rev. Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

Pastor, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church

President, Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas

Curator, Daughters of the Directory of the 6888th Project

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