U.S. W.A.C. Postal Unit #6888 - Agawam, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 02.792 W 072° 37.119
18T E 697079 N 4657686
A monument honoring women of the Women's Army Corp Postal Unit #6888 is located along Memorial Path in the Massachusetts Veterans Cemetery, 1390 Main St, Agawam, MA.
Waymark Code: WMVPAG
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2017
Views: 0
A polished black granite monument honors the women of Women's Army Corp Postal Unit #6888. The monument is inscribed:
IN HONOR OF THE U.S. W.A.C.
POSTAL UNIT #6888
1ST BLACK UNIT TO SERVE OVERSEAS
ENGLAND-FRANCE 1943-1945
ESPECIALLY THE FOLLOWING VETERANS
WILMA LUCAS JENNINGS
LAURA BIAS KING
GRACE LUCAS
VIVIAN LUCAS CARTER
YOLANDA NEWPORT JONES
The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) was created by a law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1 July 1943. After several units of white women were sent to serve in Europe during World War II, African-American organizations petitioned the War Department to extend the opportunity to serve overseas to African-American WACs.
In November 1944 a battalion of 817 African-American women was created and designated as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed “Six Triple Eight.” On February 3, 1945, the first contingent of the battalion sailed for Britain and arrived at Glasgow, Scotland, on February 14, 1945. They traveled by train to Birmingham, England. A second contingent arrived in Birmingham from Scotland fifty days later. In Birmingham, the women of the 6888 had to deal with warehouses full to the ceiling with letters and packages destined for servicemen in Europe.
The women specifically named on the monument were all residents of Massachusetts.