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Daughter of a former Six Triple Eight soldier remembers her mother

Daughter of a former Six Triple Eight soldier remembers her mother

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – An untold story is making headlines across the country. The story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion – known as Six Triple Eight – is finally coming into the spotlight.

As the only all-black Women’s Army Corps unit stationed in Europe during World War II, these women broke barriers and made history.

Now a new film on Netflix highlights their journey, including a connection to Savannah that makes this story even more special.

WTOC caught up with Dr. Karen T. Jordan, the daughter of Annie B. Knight, one of the original battalion members.

“They were all brave women; They were all adventurous,” said Dr. Karen T. Jordan, daughter of a soldier from Battalion 6888. “These were women, young black women who joined the military in the ’40s and left the country, who would have thought.”

This group was tasked with sorting through the backlog of more than 17 million pieces of undelivered mail for U.S. soldiers in Europe. A team of approximately 885 women working day after day on a mission that was vital to the morale of America’s soldiers at a most critical time.

“If people say they just handled the mail, no. The mail was extremely important. It was a big problem; It was a crisis for the military at the time. “What are we going to do about it?” Jordan said.

Her mother, like all the other Six Triple Eight soldiers, knew what they were going to do about it…they solved it.

The “Six Triple Eight” completed their task in three months and made history. And now the film sheds light on this story.

Dr. Jordan grew up listening to the stories her mother told her – some funny stories: “When you make up an army-style bed, you have to be able to bounce off a quarter of it. “It’s supposed to be so tight in the bed, and some of the other descendants had told them the same story,” Jordan said.

And more sobering stories about the hard work the battalion did to maintain military morale, and even the discrimination it faced in trying to achieve this.

Her mother’s contributions didn’t stop after her military service.

After dissolution and marrying her husband, Jordan moved to Savannah, where she began her work as a civic activist.

“She lived here for 61 years until he died,” Jordan said. “She was very active in Savannah. She and my father were very active in the NAACP. I remember they went to mass meetings and Martin Luther King came and spoke, so they were very, very active.”

She also became an educator, a member of St. Mary’s Church, an advocate for black military women, and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated. She created a legacy that her children would be proud of.

Dr. Reflecting on her mother’s journey, Jordan says she is proud to share this story with others, especially with other descendants of Six Triple Eight soldiers – who she calls her “Six Triple Eight siblings.”

Jordan says her mission is to keep the legacy alive.

“We felt like this was our legacy, but it’s also an important legacy for black women, for military women, for women in general,” Jordan said. “It’s a story with hidden characters that hasn’t been told, and that’s why most of us go around talking about our mothers.”

Dr. Jordan said if her mother were here to see all the recognition they are receiving from the film’s release, she would be overwhelmed.

“She would just love it, call me all the time and tell me everything, and she would want to make sure I brought her to every event,” Jordan said.

Jordan says the opportunity to tell her mother’s story and let the Six Triple Eight legacy live on is something she will cherish forever.

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