A 100-year-old veteran of the country's only all-Black, all-female WWII unit was honored in her New Jersey hometown with a street-naming ceremony to recognize all her contributions.
Friends and family of Gladys E. Blount gathered in East Orange on Wednesday — 80 years after she left her home to help serve her country.
Blount is one of six surviving members of her unit, an 855-member group of women who made up the 6888 Central Postal Directory (referred to as the Six Triple Eight).The only battalion of its kind deployed overseas during the war, the unit worked in three shifts around the clock, in an unheated and rat-infested warehouse in England.
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Their task: Clearing a six-month backlog of mail and packages intended for soldiers and support staff serving in the European theater of WWII — providing a link from those in the battlefields to their loved ones back home. It wasn't easy, but the Six Triple Eight got it done in three months.
When they came back home, there was no parade or recognition. But that's changing.
"It may have been a long time coming, but its right on time. She’s so elated and happy about it," said Willie Davis IV, Blount's grandson.
The centenarian private first class wasn't able to make the trip from Florida to witness the street renaming in person, but local schoolchildren joined her family for the honor.
"My family roots come from here, it made me feel like I have a lot of power in this world as a Black woman, it made me feel like I can do a lot," said Willow Davis, Blount's great-granddaughter.
At the time, many believed the Six Triple Eight couldn't do what they did, in a segregated U.S. Army that was reluctant in 1945 to allow Black women to enlist. Blount rarely spoke about her enlistment, until her grandson's wife was helping empty her apartment and came across a treasure trove of history.
"I was so amazed and proud to have that legacy for my daughters," said Kim Davis.
Recently awarded a Congressional Medal of honor, the Six Triple Eight is now the subject of documentaries, as well as a movie in the making.
"She is still just amazed at the attention this has gotten, and I'm happy for her and all the women still living," said Blount's daughter, Eva Davis. "A lot of things we take for granted that should not be. You think about how many people were so relieved to get this mail, that they’re loved ones sent this mail. They got it late, but better late than never, so it's beautiful."
The house where Blount grew up in on Oraton Parkway was demolished decades ago to make way for Route 280, but East Orange Mayor Ted Green said the street sign will be a constant reminder of who Blount is and what she gave to this country.
"I want them to know that Gladys served this country well but I want our young people to know that they have a responsibility," said Green. "So many individuals and women sacrificed for us, and we stand on their shoulders.”
