Historian Kevin Hymel’s article, “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion,” is being made into a movie by Tyler Perry.
Kevin interviewed Lena Derriecott King, who served in the only all-black, all-female unit to serve overseas, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (where she fought a three-front war), for a story that appeared in the February 2019 issue of WWII History magazine. She was one of the five surviving members of that battalion who attended a dedication of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Kevin, who also attended, had the pleasure of speaking with Cpl. Derriecott then about her time serving in the 6888th.
Read Kevin’s article “WAC Corporal Lena Derriecott and the 6888th Central Postal Battalion” >
As noted in the Hollywood Reporter article, “Tyler Perry Sets WWII Movie ‘Six Triple Eight’ at Netflix:“
“Tyler Perry has set his next feature film for Netflix about the 6888th battalion, the only all-black, all-female battalion in the World War II effort.
Perry penned the project, titled Six Triple Eight, which is based on an article by Kevin M. Hymel published in WWII History Magazine by Sovereign Media.
The synopsis of the project reads: “These 855 women joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail. A herculean task, that most thought to be impossible, the women not only succeeded but did it in half the time they were given. Facing discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, they persevered and sorted over 17 million pieces of mail, reconnecting American soldiers with their families and loved ones back home. The motto that kept them going each day was one they created themselves: “No Mail, Low Morale.” The women of the 6888 weren’t just delivering mail, they were delivering hope.”
Join us on our new 6888th Legacy Tour!
This tour follows the path of the 6888th from Scotland to Birmingham, England and London, Normandy, Rouen and Paris, while also visiting major Allied sites to show the bigger picture of WWII in the U.K. and France.
