South Carolina H 4085: A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF THE ORIGINAL GULLAH FESTIVAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION FOR ITS MEANINGFUL CONTRIBUTIONS IN RETAINING THE HISTORIC GULLAH CULTURE AND FOR ITS ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE'S TOURISM INDUSTRY.

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4085 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 25, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4085

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A concurrent RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND 
HONOR THE MEMBERS OF THE 6888TH CENTRAL POSTAL DIRECTORY BATTALION OF THE 
WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS AND TO COMMEND THEM AND THEIR BATTALION FOR THEIR 
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES MILITARY DURING WORLD WAR II.

Whereas, in November 
1944, the United States War Department removed the restrictions preventing 
African American women from enlisting in the Women's Army Corps, which resulted 
in the establishment of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion was a distinctive unit within the United States Army, notable for 
being the sole Women's Army Corps battalion deployed to the European Theater of 
Operations during World War II that was entirely comprised of African American 
women; and

Whereas, eight hundred 
fifty-five African American women, consisting of eight hundred twenty-four 
enlisted personnel and thirty-one officers, served in the 6888th Battalion, 
which was commissioned from February 1945 to March 1946, several of whom were 
from the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, the primary 
objective of the 6888th Battalion was to organize and process over seventeen 
million pieces of correspondence for personnel from the United States: 
soldiers, sailors, and airmen, as well as American Red Cross workers and 
uniformed civilian specialists, stationed in Europe. This effort was aimed at 
serving approximately three million individuals who were waiting for their mail 
in the European Theater of Operations; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion underwent training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where they acquired 
skills in identifying enemy aircraft, vessels, and weaponry. Their training 
included techniques for climbing ropes, jumping over trenches, and crawling 
under logs while donning gas masks. Additionally, they practiced boarding and 
evacuating ships, as well as marching long distances while carrying rucksacks; 
and

Whereas, in February 
1945, the initial contingent of the 6888th Battalion departed from Camp Shank 
in New York, on a transatlantic journey aboard the Ile de France. During this 
voyage, the ship encountered perilous situations, including near misses with 
German U-boats and a German V-1 rocket explosion as the ship approached the 
dock in Glasgow, Scotland. When they arrived by train in Birmingham, England, they 
encountered warehouses filled to capacity with letters and packages; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion, despite facing air raids and harsh working conditions in dim, 
unheated aircraft hangars infested with rats and featuring broken windows, 
successfully created an innovative mail tracking system. They operated seven 
days a week in three distinct eight-hour shifts, processed an average of 
sixty-five thousand parcels per shift, and managed to eliminate a six-month 
backlog in just three months; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion subsequently moved to its next duty station in Rouen, France, where 
it discovered a backlog of undelivered mail that had accumulated over a period 
of three years. The battalion efficiently processed and resolved this backlog 
within a span of five months; and

Whereas, following the 
completion of its final mission in Paris, France, the last members of the 
6888th Battalion made their way back to the United States on the SS Claymont 
Victory. The battalion was officially disbanded in March 1946 at Fort Dix, New 
Jersey, without any parade, public acknowledgment, or formal recognition of its 
achievements; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion upheld its motto, "No mail, low morale," by delivering 
crucial support to the United States military in Europe. They facilitated 
communication between servicemembers and their families, resulting in 
remarkable success and effectiveness in addressing the military's postal 
challenges; and

Whereas, the 6888th 
Battalion comprised the largest Women's Army Corps battalion of African American 
women to serve abroad, challenging stereotypes and signifying a shift in both 
racial and gender dynamics within the military; and

Whereas, during their 
service, the 6888th Battalion was awarded the Women's Army Corps Service Medal, 
the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, 
and the World War II Victory Medal; and

Whereas, on February 
25, 2009, the 6888th Battalion was honored by President Barack Obama at the 
Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. On 
November 30, 2018, a monument inscribed "Women of Determination, 
Dedication and Distinction" was dedicated to the 6888th Battalion at the 
Buffalo Soldier Commemorative Area in Fort