The Filmmakers and Cast of ‘The Six Triple Eight’ Pay Tribute to World War II Heroes and Connect with Today’s Service Members on USO Tour

By Danielle DeSimone

For many, “the USO” is synonymous with entertainment. From the front lines of World War II to today, the USO has brought actors, musicians, athletes, comedians, authors, artists and more to service members all around the globe. These USO Entertainment Tours strive to boost morale among troops and remind the people who serve that no matter where their service takes them, they always have the support of the American people.

That support is especially meaningful when these entertainers have worked on projects related to the world of the military, which exposes them to the realities of military life. When Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian met with service members on a USO Entertainment Tour, and later spoke with service members overseas on a video call alongside former U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant, it brought those realities into focus after their work on the recently released Netflix film, “The Six Triple Eight.” Not only did this tour pay tribute to the women portrayed in the film, but it also allowed today’s service members to connect with these entertainers and celebrate their own contributions as members of the U.S. military.

The History Behind the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight,” was a mostly-Black, all-female unit of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps (WAC), which ensured that U.S. service members received millions of delayed letters and packages on the front lines of World War II, providing a bridge to home and boosting morale during a pivotal time in the war.

“Sorting the mail” might seem like a relatively straightforward task, but it was anything but. By 1944, there were widespread, years-long delays in delivering letters and packages to the American service members fighting in the European theatre of the war. Multiple warehouses in England were full of millions of pieces of unsorted mail, which had a very real and negative effect on the morale both at home and abroad. Without today’s technology, letters were the only way service members could get any news of home, which was crucial in keeping spirits high and maintaining operational readiness in the field. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., American families were anxiously awaiting any news – good or bad – of their loved ones. Something had to be done.

“Imagine you being there and not being able to pick up the phone and call home, or not being able to check on your loved ones or your loved ones check on you in any way. There is no WhatsApp. There is no email. It’s just mail,” said Mr. Perry, who wrote and directed the film “The Six Triple Eight.”

Despite facing racism in the War Department that cast doubt on their abilities, the 6888th battalion became the first and only WAC unit of color to be deployed to Europe during World War II, and they were assigned the arduous task of sorting through the backlog of mail. After a close-miss of a submarine attack while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the 855 women of the battalion arrived in England and got to work.

However, sorting through nearly 2-3 years’ backlog of mail was not a simple task. The warehouses were filled – sometimes up to the ceiling – with packages and letters. Because some of these packages had been sitting there for years, their contents were often spoiled and rotting, and the warehouses were filled with vermin. The women worked in poorly lit and unheated facilities through the winter, struggling to decipher incomplete or inaccurate addresses. However, despite the challenging conditions, the women in this unit were committed to delivering the mail to their proper recipients, always focused on their motto – “No mail, low morale.”

Led by 26-year-old Charity Adams (played by Kerry Washington in the film), the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion sorted and rerouted 17 million pieces of mail, working in 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. They were given six months to complete the task, but they finished it in three. By the end of the war, Charity Adams was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel – the highest possible rank in the WAC – making her the highest-ranking Black woman in the entire Army.

Despite the immense challenges of discrimination, difficult working conditions and the pressure of ensuring the morale of American troops across Europe, Charity Adams and her 6888th battalion accomplished what no other Army unit had been able to do. Sadly, despite this, when the women returned home from the war, they received little to no fanfare for their efforts.

It was not until 2022 that the U.S. House of Representatives voted to award the women of the 6888th Central Post Battalion with the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2023, U.S. Army Fort Lee, Virginia, was renamed “Fort Gregg-Adams,” in honor of Lt. Col. Charity Adams and Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg.

“What they did was so important, and I just want the world to know how powerful they all were and how they should be celebrated,” Mr. Perry said. “I wish that all of them could be here, alive, to see it this day, but I know they’re with us in spirit.”

Honoring the Legacy of the Six Triple Eight Through a USO Entertainment Tour

In November 2024, Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington and Ebony Obsidian joined the USO on a USO Entertainment Tour on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, to both honor the legacy of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, and to boost morale among today’s service members.

One of the key messages of “The Six Triple Eight” film – “no mail, low morale” – is mirrored in much of the USO’s work today. From delivering USO Care Packages, to helping separated military families connect via the USO Reading Program, to providing access to free Wi-Fi and computers in our USO Centers – including in front-line locations – the USO strives to boost morale among the people who serve overseas by connecting them to their loved ones back home.

And so, to carry on the legacy of the 6888th battalion, the creators and stars of the film participated in a USO Care Package-stuffing event. At these events, USO staff, volunteers and guests come together on an assembly line to fill USO Care Packages before they are shipped overseas.

The USO distributes care packages around the globe each year, and in fact distributed more than 270,000 care packages in 2023 alone. These USO Care Packages contain items that may be in limited supply in the field, and typically come in three forms: a snack pack, a toiletry pack and a female toiletry pack.

The female toiletry pack is a relatively new type of USO Care Package, which includes items such as toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, razors, sanitary pads, tampons, hair ties and more.

Mr. Perry, Ms. Washington and Ms. Obsidian quickly rolled up their sleeves and began assembling these USO Care Packages for female service members overseas. They worked side-by-side with USO volunteers and active-duty service members, where they got to speak one-on-one about their experiences. The cast and director were surprised to discover that female service members have limited access - and sometimes no access at all - to tampons or sanitary pads at several bases in the Middle East, as many on-base convenience stores do not sell the products. As a result, the women deployed to these locations rely entirely on care packages from loved ones or the USO to provide these crucial supplies while serving overseas.

“There were certain products that I needed that may not have always been available, so we relied heavily on the mail. It took a little bit of time to get there, so we would just let our family and friends know what we needed in advance in terms of hygiene or certain sunblock and other products,” explained U.S. Army National Guard Maj. Dionne Henley, who was at the event, as she discussed a prior deployment to Djibouti, Africa.

Many of the products that Dionne and her fellow service members needed were used to address specific challenges of their duty location. For example, the Djibouti sun, heat and dryness of the atmosphere, coupled with the poor air quality, lack of vegetation and limited shelter from the elements, had a physical effect. And without moisturizers or other products, conditions were not always pleasant.

Luckily, Dionne’s best friend Tammy had previously deployed to Bahrain, so she was familiar with the conditions Dionne would be in while in Djibouti. Tammy, alongside Dionne’s sister and mother – who had also served in the military – assisted by mailing Dionne care packages.

When receiving a care package from home, “it felt like Christmas,” Dionne said.

She teared up slightly as she explained: “I’m sorry, it always makes me so emotional because you’re out there by yourself, away from your family and friends, but then the stuff that you need arrives and there’s always a ‘Love you’ note.”

“This is the age of social media and texting and all that, but just to get something so special from your family in addition to the things you need, it just reminds you of how much they love you and they’re thinking about you,” she continued. “It was just very, very loving and very supportive. It felt like you had a little bit of home in a box.”

That is why programs such as the USO Care Package program are so crucial – and why it was truly a full-circle moment for Mr. Perry, Ms. Washington and Ms. Obsidian to be assembling these female toiletry packs alongside USO volunteers and service members after producing and starring in a film about the crucial nature of mail in wartime. Both Ms. Washington and Ms. Obsidian, as well as the female service members in attendance, noticed how much thought had gone into the items in the care packages – from panty liners to help in locations with high temperatures, to hair ties designed specifically to protect delicate hair.

“Just the level of care that [the USO] took to look at the products that we need … it’s very good,” Dionne said. “I will say, as a woman, if I got that in Djibouti, I’d be happy.”

After the group assembled more than 1,000 USO Care Packages, “The Six Triple Eight” stars sat down for a lunch with service members – including Dionne – to speak with them individually about their experiences in service, as well as how their service connected to the legacy and history of the women of the 6888th Central Post Battalion.

“The story seems remarkable. Just those ladies going over there and making sure that service men had morale, especially during that time in the world, too … I remember whenever our mail slowed down because of COVID and that was a huge deal, so I can only imagine what those gentlemen were dealing with in World War II,” Dionne said. “So the fact that [this event] brings this all together, and to see these actors come out and pack a little bit … I thought it was very neat.”

Afterwards, Mr. Perry, Ms. Washington and Ms. Obsidian visited Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), where they paid a solemn tribute at the graves of Maj. Blanche Scott and Master Sgt. Allie Harshaw, members of the 6888th battalion who are buried at ANC. They also partook in a Public Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

A few weeks later, the three artists, alongside former U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant, who was a producer on “The Six Triple Eight” film, joined the USO and a postal unit at RAF Lakenheath, in the United Kingdom, for a video call. Once again, the director, actors and producer made the time during their busy schedules to speak one-on-one with service members, with Ms. Washington even joking with the U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kianna Beacoat on the call, “When you started to talk, I thought ‘Oh, this is the real Charity Adams.’”

Throughout this conversation, service members working in this postal unit had the chance to ask the artists about their careers and their work on this particular film. And with every answer, one unifying theme came through: by telling this story and honoring the work of the women in the Six Triple Eight, Mr. Perry, Ms. Washington and Ms. Obsidian gained an even greater appreciation for the commitment and sacrifices made by today’s service members.

Ms. Obsidian, who portrays Lena Derriecott Bell King – a member of the 6888th Central Post Battalion who inspired Mr. Perry to write the script of the film – shared that her uncle has served in the U.S. military since she was seven years old, and that his service has had a profound effect on her understanding of military life.

“You are who we represent on the screen, but you’re doing it in real life,” Ms. Obsidian said to the room of nearly 40 service members on the call. “And that is a sacrifice not only of time, but the trajectory of your entire life. We do know the sacrifice that being in your position is … but know that it’s not in vain. Know that we’re here spending this wonderful time together, talking about this project, and hopefully you feel amplified by what we’re sharing and how we’re speaking about it. And we just hope that we’re doing you proud. We hope that you continue to strive to be the best, because you’re our example in our everyday life. You are the reason that this country is as strong as it is. You are the reason that we are as safe as we are. And having my experience with the family member in the military in dangerous places, I have so much respect and gratitude for that sacrifice.”

Ms. Washington echoed those sentiments, emphasizing especially the immense bravery that is required to be a service member in today’s military.

“There’s kind of a silly thing that we do in Hollywood, when an actor does a performance that we like, we say, ‘Oh, what a courageous performance.’ And I’ve heard that about our cast in the film. But I don’t think I understood courage until I stepped into the shoes of Charity Adams, I don’t think I understood that what you all do is so courageous,” Ms. Washington said.

“How you sacrifice your time, your hearts, your willingness to give of your body and your life in service of this country is extraordinary. And so to whatever extent our film is courageous, it is a small testament to the courage that you put forward every single day. I’m so grateful to have even been able to play pretend at the heroism, the heroic nature of what you do every single day. It’s just mind-blowing. And so I say in this holiday season, thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m just so filled with awe and gratitude for what you give us every day.”

As a former United States ambassador to the Bahamas, Nicole Avant had spent several years around U.S. military members, and she felt strongly about telling the story of the Six Triple Eight.

To the service members in the video call, she shared: “I cannot thank you enough for your tenacity, for your determination, for your devotion, for your dedication to our country and to freedom and to democracy. You are everything,” Madam Ambassador Nicole Avant said.

“The best part of me becoming a U.S ambassador was meeting all of the law enforcement, all of the troops, everywhere I went. It made a huge difference in my heart. It made a huge difference in who I am. I think that people don’t get the layers of what you do, and I just want to say that I definitely do, and I hope that everybody does at some point.”

Mr. Perry – throughout his day in-person on the USO Entertainment Tour, as well as on the video call with airmen at RAF Lakenheath – repeatedly shared a sentiment with service members he spoke with. He explained that he has worked with many veterans on film sets, especially in this particular film, and in the many conversations he’s had with them, they often share that they wish the world understood what they did and how much it mattered. The military-civilian divide often leaves service members and veterans feeling like their civilian neighbors don’t truly know what military life entails, and how many sacrifices they make while in uniform.

“So what I would say to all of you is that every one of you matter. Everyone. Do not let anybody play you small or your position small. Every little thing that you may think is so small can be so major and make the difference in the whole world. So I don’t take anything that you all do for granted,” Mr. Perry said.

“Any job, any position, everyone is important. And as long as you are serving this country, and as you go on to be veterans and live long lives, and your children live long lives, whoever goes on into the military, what I want you to know is that I appreciate it. We appreciate it. This country appreciates it. And please, whatever you do, never ever feel small, never ever feel small about your contribution. God bless you. Thank you. I’m thankful for you and I’m really, really grateful to have this opportunity to be in your presence.”

Through this USO Entertainment Tour, the USO, alongside Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Nicole Avant and Netflix, celebrated the incredible work of the female service members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, and brought a similar morale boost to the service members of today. And through the USO’s mission of strengthening the well-being of the people who serve, and their families, that same commitment to morale and connection carries on today.

Are you interested in giving back to the people who serve and volunteering with the USO? Learn more about what it means to be a USO Volunteer and if there’s a USO Center near you by clicking here!