Daughter of former ‘Six Triple Eight’ soldier remembers her mother

On December 29, 2024By Littum

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – An untold story making headlines across the nation. The story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion – known as the Six Triple Eight – is finally coming into focus.

As the only all-black female Army Corps unit stationed in Europe during World War II, these women broke barriers and made history.

Now a new film on Netflix sheds light on their journey, including a connection to Savannah that makes this story even more special.

WTOC sat down with Dr. Karen T. Jordan, daughter of Annie B. Knight, one of the original battalion members.

“They were all brave women; they were all adventurous,” said Dr. Karen T. Jordan, daughter of 6888 Battalion soldier. “It was women who were, young black women going into the military and out of the country in the ’40s, who would have imagined.”

This group was tasked with sorting through the backlog of more than 17 million pieces of undelivered mail for American soldiers in Europe. A team of about 885 women work day in and day out on a mission that was vital to the morale of American soldiers at an extremely critical time.

“When people say well, all they did was process the mail, no. The mail was extremely important. It was a big problem; it was a crisis for the military at the time. What are we going to do about it?” Jordan said.

Her mother, along with every other soldier in the six triple eight, knew exactly what they wanted to do about it… they solved it.

‘Six Triple Eight’ got the job done in three months and made history. And now the film sheds light on that history.

Dr. Jordan grew up listening to the stories her mother told her – some funny ones: “The whole thing about making a bed the Army way, you gotta be able to jump out of bed a quarter mile, you have to have it so tight and some of the other descendants had told them the same story,” Jordan said.

And more sobering stories of the hard work the battalion put in to maintain military morale and even the discrimination they faced while trying to do so.

Her mother’s contributions did not stop after her service in the military.

After disbanding and marrying her husband, Jordan moved to Savannah where she began her work as a civil activist.

“She lived here for 61 years until he died,” Jordan said. “She was very active in Savannah. She and my father were very active in the NAACP. I remember them going to mass meetings and Martin Luther King would come and speak, so they were very, very active with that.”

Along with becoming an educator, member of St. Mary’s Church, Advocate for Black Military Women, Member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated. She created a legacy her children would be proud of.

Dr. Reflecting on her mother’s journey, Jordan says she is proud to share this story with others, especially doing so with other descendants of Six Triple Eight soldiers – whom she calls her “Six Triple Eight siblings.”

Jordan says their mission is to keep the legacy alive.

“We felt that this is our legacy, but this is also an important legacy for black women, for military women, for women in general,” Jordan said. “It’s a story of hidden figures that haven’t been told, and that’s why most of us go around talking about our mothers.”

Dr. Jordan said that if her mother was here to see all the recognition they are getting from the release of the film, she would be blown away.

“She would just be ecstatic, she would call me and tell me all the time, and she wanted to make sure I got her to every event,” Jordan said.

Jordan says the opportunity to share her mother’s story and let the ‘Six Triple Eight’ legacy live on is something she will cherish forever.