Nationwide — Anna Mae Robertson, one of many final surviving members of the all-Black feminine army unit often known as the Six Triple Eight, died not too long ago on the age of 101. Her unit performed a key function throughout World Struggle II by sorting large backlogs of mail for U.S. troops in Europe, serving to increase soldier morale. Final 12 months, Tyler Perry launched a movie on Netflix referred to as Six Triple Eight starring Kerry Washington, telling their story.
Born in 1923 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Robertson labored as a trainer earlier than becoming a member of the Ladies’s Military Corps in 1943. Two years later, she was deployed to Europe as a part of the 6888th Central Postal Listing Battalion, the one all-Black, all-female unit to serve abroad in the course of the struggle.
The battalion was tasked with sorting hundreds of thousands of delayed letters and packages stacked in warehouses in England and France. They labored day and evening, processing over 17 million items of mail in just some months. Their efforts helped join troopers with family members throughout wartime.
Regardless of their success, the ladies confronted discrimination each inside the army and society. Their mission was largely ignored for many years, with their contributions going principally unacknowledged.
Recognition lastly got here later. In 2019, Robertson and her fellow unit members had been honored by the U.S. Military. In 2022, Congress awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal. A 2024 Netflix movie concerning the unit, directed by Tyler Perry, introduced their story to a wider viewers.
In accordance with The Wall Avenue Journal, Robertson died on July 5 in Maplewood, Minnesota. She is survived by her two kids, three grandchildren, and a number of other great-grandchildren.
