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Senate committee releases resolution designating May 18 to honor the 6888th postal battalion
Summary
The committee unanimously released SJR149 to designate May 18 as a day recognizing the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion; sponsors and descendants recounted the unit’s WWII mail-relief work and noted a 2022 Congressional Gold Medal award.
The New Jersey Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee voted to release Senate Joint Resolution 149, which would designate May 18 of each year to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and its New Jersey members.
Sponsor Senator Turner said the recognition is long overdue and tied the measure to recent anniversaries and observances. She told the committee she learned about the unit through a film and local advocates and noted that New Jersey resident Marion (Marianne) Van Orkey served with the unit.
Michael McCormick of the Allentown Village Initiative described the 6888th’s mission in Europe during World War II: setting up postal operations under dangerous conditions, reconstructing damaged packages, and processing millions of pieces of mail. An ambassador and descendant who testified detailed the unit’s overseas training, the scale of the operation and the harsh conditions the women faced.
Senators praised bringing the unit’s service into the public record. The sponsor noted that President Biden signed legislation awarding the 6888th the Congressional Gold Medal in March 2022.
The committee approved the resolution and released it from committee by roll call.
The resolution, if enacted, would establish an annual day of recognition in New Jersey for the 6888th and related local commemorations.
