ANNA MAE ROBERTSON: A LIVING LEGEND AND MEMBER OF THE 6888 CENTRAL POSTAL DIRECTORY BATTALION AN AMERICAN (S)HERO AND HISTORY MAKER
UMOJA Magazine is pleased to honor Congressional Gold Medal Recipient, Anna Mae Robertson, a 100-year-old World War II veteran and member of the historic 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion (Six Triple Eight). Anna Mae Robertson is one the last living Soldiers of the his-toric Six Triple Eight…which is the first, last and only all Black female unit in military history in World War II. Out of approximately 850 black women who served in this unit, only 2 are known to still be alive today. YOUR SERVICE AND SACRIFICE TO THIS NATION IS HISTORIC, GREATLY APPRECIATED, AND WILL NEVER BE FOR-GOTTEN!
Anna Mae Robertson (formerly Anna Mae Wilson) was born March 5, 1924, and grew up in Os-ceola, Arkansas, where her family worked on a crop farm. But determined to become self-sufficient, Anna Mae Robertson enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps in 1943 and was eventually assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—known as the “Six Triple Eight”—and by 1945, she was on a ship headed to Birmingham, England. Robertson and the more than 850 other women were tasked to sort and distribute years of backlogged mail intended for U.S. troops, government personnel and Red Cross workers serving in the European theater.
Under the leadership of 26-year-old Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, the Six Triple Eight worked around the clock sorting through undelivered mail. Their motto became, “No mail, low morale.” The Six Triple Eight processed an average of 65,000 pieces of mail per shift, often having to deci-pher the intended recipient based on little information. The unit was given six months to process over 17 million pieces of mail that had filled hangars for years. Amazingly, they did it in three. Be-cause of their efforts, the mail was Signed, Sealed and Delivered to Soldiers which boosted their morale and helped them to see the light during the very dark days in a war zone. Hence, the crux of the 6888 motto: “NO MAIL! LOW MORALE”
After the war, Robertson ‘eventually’ moved to Milwaukee and worked primarily as a nursing as-sistant at what is now the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee.
After more than 70 years, in 2022, thanks in large part to the advocacy efforts of Congresswoman Gwen Moore and others, members of the Six Triple Eight Unit were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Biden.
Anna Mae Robertson was married to the late John Robertson and their union had 8 children. Today, Anna Mae Robertson continues to call Milwaukee home and cherish-es each day with her children and many grandchildren.
Today, we give Mrs. Anna Mae Robertson her flowers and we honor her for being a trailblazer and blazing a trail for those who came after her! Anna Mae Robertson is truly a living legend and a national treasure who still lives among us today!
In October 2024, prior to the Six Triple Eight movie being released in December 2024, I had the honor of co-hosting Kerry Washington at the home of Mrs. Anna Mae Robert-son (formerly Anna Mae Wilson who is also pictured at the end of the movie). During this historic and emotional visit, Kerry Washington paid homage and thanked Mrs. Robertson for her service and sacrifice. This historic visit was highlighted in the De-cember 2024 issue of UMOJA Magazine. Currently, the movie about the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion has been released and can be viewed on Netflix and across various media.
During World War II, and with racism at its peak, these Black women…these Soldiers of the Six Triple Eight displayed great courage as they fought for a cause much greater than themselves.
As I watched the movie, there were moments of anger and tears shed at the blatant discrimination these Soldiers have to endure, especially by their fellow Soldiers in high-er command. They were literally fighting for the very freedom that was being denied to them. However, suddenly I began to express tears of joy at the dedication, commit-ment and the courage of the women of the Six Triple Eight to succeed despite the odds and the barriers placed to ensure their failure. Their ingenuity and resilience serve as a shining example for others, especially our youth, not to give up when faced with diffi-culties and challenges.
I want to applaud Tyler Perry, his team and NETFLIX for making the world aware of the Six Triple Eight and their contributions of African Americans, especially Black Women in combat zones during WWII and other conflicts around the world. I also want to applaud Kerry Washington and the cast for bringing the spirit of the Six Triple Eight to life on screen for the world to see. Next month, Anna Mae Robertson will turn 101 on March 5, 2025. It would be an honor if Tyler Perry and Kerry Washington would visit and thank her personally on this special day.
