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Assembly committee approves resolution to designate May 18 as "6 Triple 8 Day" honoring African American WWII postal battalion
Summary
The committee released an Assembly committee substitute of AJR211 to designate May 18 of each year as "6 Triple 8 Day" in New Jersey, honoring the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and recognizing the service of African American women postal battalion members.
The Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee voted to release an Assembly committee substitute for AJR211, a joint resolution designating May 18 of each year as "6 Triple 8 Day" in New Jersey to honor the service of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, commonly referred to in testimony as the "6 Triple 8."
Testimony described the battalion's work in 1945 to clear a massive backlog of mail for U.S. service members in the European theater. Dr. Karen T. Jordan, a historian and descendant of a 6 Triple 8 service member, told the committee the unit processed millions of pieces of mail in harsh conditions and completed a task the Army had expected to take six months in roughly three months. "They were working 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Jordan said, recounting the battalion's work sorting and redirecting damaged and misaddressed mail to restore communication between troops and families.
Advocates asked the committee to approve the joint resolution to ensure the group's story is taught and commemorated in New Jersey. Testimony included local historians and representatives of veterans groups; Martha L. Pilashi of Allentown described Marion Van Orkey, a New Jersey native who served with the battalion and whose birthday is May 18.
During roll call the committee affirmed release of the substitute. Assemblyman Sawicki, Assemblyman Rump, Assemblywoman Kane, Assemblywoman McCoy and Chairwoman Tucker each recorded a yes vote when called; the committee released the substitute to the Assembly floor.
The resolution, as described to the committee, would make the designation identical to a Senate counterpart and formally recognize the contribution of the 6 Triple 8 in New Jersey's history. Supporters noted the battalion received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2022 and asked that state education officials consider including the unit's history in school curricula.
The substitute will proceed to the Assembly floor for further consideration.
