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Black Female WWII Unit Hoping to Get Congressional Honor

时间:2021-07-20 01:56:38

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(单词翻译)

 

Major Fannie Griffin McClendon never thought too much about being part of the only Black female United States army group to serve in Europe during World War II. Neither did those who served with her in the 6888th Central Postal1 Directory Battalion2. The soldiers had a job to do.

The women are credited with solving a serious U.S. Army mail crisis during the war. Upon their return, they were seen as models for generations of Black women who would join the military.

But overall, the efforts of the 855 service members have gone widely unrecognized — until recently.

In April, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would award members of the battalion with the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest honors. Now, the House of Representatives will consider the bill. However, even if it passes, it will be too late for much of the 6888th. Most of the soldiers have died. It is believed there are only seven surviving members.

One of them is McClendon. She spoke3 about the award from her home in Tempe, Arizona.

She said receiving the honor would be nice. But, she added, "I just wish there were more people to, if it comes through, there were more people to celebrate it."

McClendon has met with her local congressmember to press for passage of the bill.

The 6888th was deployed4 to Europe in 1945. At the time, there was growing pressure to include Black women in the Women's Army Corps5, or WACs. There was also a push to permit them to join the WACs white members overseas.

"I think that the 6888th, the command inherently knew that their presence overseas meant more than clearing the mail backlog6," said Retired7 Army Col. Edna Cummings. She was not a member of the 6888th, but has been working to get them greater recognition.

They represented hope for Black women soldiers back in the United States who were facing racism8 and sexism in their military service, she said.

The 6888th was deployed to Birmingham, England. Its job was to process a huge collection of letters and other mail sent to troops and others who never received them. Many troops were angry about lost letters and delayed mail.

"They expected we were going to be there about two or three months trying to get it straightened out. Well, I think in about a month, in a month and a half, we had it all straightened out and going in the right direction," McClendon said.

At the time, the military was segregated9, or divided by sex and race. Blacks could not share housing, eating places and other Army properties with whites. This forced the 6888th to set up all their operations on their own.

The 6888th began the project by dividing into three groups so that the work could continue around the clock. They created a locator system based on the names of soldiers and the number of their unit in which they served.

Each group of the 6888th could process about 65,000 pieces of mail during a single work period.

The women dealt with the backlog of mail, about 17 million pieces, in three months, two times faster than the Army expected.

Their effort was a major success. But the 6888th still dealt with criticism and questioning by those who did not want Black women to serve in the military.

The army group was deployed to France after they completed the mail project. And, when they finally returned home to the U.S. their service went unrecognized.

"It is sad to say. They came back to Jim Crow America," Cummings said, adding "there are so many stories of units of color who were not recognized until decades after the war."

Still, Cummings said the time overseas with the Army changed the lives of the women who served.

The 6888th's Elizabeth Barker Johnson is an example. She was the first female to attend Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina on the GI Bill, a law that provides free college education to returning soldiers.

McClendon took a different path, joining the Air Force after segregation10 in the military was ended. She became the first female to command an all-male unit with the Strategic Air Command.

Another member, the late Doris Moore, became the first Black social worker in the state of New Hampshire, her family said.

The 6888th is also the subject of a documentary. And there is discussion of making a movie based on the story of the 6888th. A monument honoring the soldiers was put up at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 2018.

And there is the hope of a Congressional Gold Medal.

"It is past time that we officially recognize them for their incredible contribution to our troops during World War II," said Maggie Hassan, one of the U.S. senators who proposed the Senate bill.

Words in This Story

inherent – adj. belonging to the basic nature of someone or something

backlog – n. a large number of jobs that are waiting to be finished

locator - adj. showing the place where someone or something is

Jim Crow – n. the slang name for the laws that segregated Black people in the United States

decade – n. a period of ten years

incredible - adj. unbelievable

contribution - n. something that is done to cause something to happen


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1 postal EP0xt     
adj.邮政的,邮局的
参考例句:
  • A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
  • Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。
2 battalion hu0zN     
n.营;部队;大队(的人)
参考例句:
  • The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
  • At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后,队伍解散了。
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 deployed 4ceaf19fb3d0a70e329fcd3777bb05ea     
(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用
参考例句:
  • Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
  • The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。
5 corps pzzxv     
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组
参考例句:
  • The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
6 backlog bPiyc     
n.积压未办之事
参考例句:
  • It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
  • Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。
7 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
8 racism pSIxZ     
n.民族主义;种族歧视(意识)
参考例句:
  • He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
  • Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。
9 segregated 457728413c6a2574f2f2e154d5b8d101     
分开的; 被隔离的
参考例句:
  • a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
  • The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。
10 segregation SESys     
n.隔离,种族隔离
参考例句:
  • Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初,许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
  • They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

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