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The Rest of the Story of the Six Triple Eight
Major Charity Edna Adams and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Hopefully, many of you have already seen the movie “The Six Triple Eight,” which is now streaming on Netflix after a short run in selected theaters. The film is based on the true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black and all-female battalion, in World War II. It centers on their commanding officer, Charity Adams, played by actress Kerry Washington in the film.
The film showed some of the adversity the women faced while trying to contribute to the war effort. It’s generally a feel-good movie intended to inform but entertain. When they faced racism, it was typically centered on the actions of single individuals like fictional characters General Halt or Chaplain Clemens without acknowledging how deep systemic racism ran in the yet-to-be-integrated armed forces.
I ended watching the movie wondering how much was true and what was left out. I’ll touch on a few of the dramatic scenes and compare the movie to what occurred in real life.
“Sir, over my dead body, Sir!” —Major Charity Adams
Did Charity Adams really tell General Holt, “Sir, over my dead body, Sir,” after he said he’d disband the Six Triple Eight? Damn straight, she did. While General Halt was fictional, Adams did have those words with a general she wouldn’t name, which she outlined in her memoir. It’s a wonder she wasn’t immediately sent to the brig and court-martialed. I never served in the armed forces, but my friends have assured me it’s a wonder her career didn’t end at that moment.
The real general planned to court-martial Adams. She and her team were planning to charge the general, accusing him of violating an order that prohibited racially charged language. The general ultimately dropped his charges, and the Six Triple Eight dropped theirs in a standoff.
You may have wondered which women portrayed were based on real people. Lena Derriecott was real and had known the Jewish pilot Abram David for most of her life. Their relationship is exaggerated in the film, and the letter he wrote before his death was a plot device to move along the movie. Lena…
