On a cold November morning in 2018, crowds of people lined a road at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, cheering and waving small American flags. A parade of cars, led by police and motorcycle escorts, slowly rolled by. Inside the cars were five special guests, smiling and returning the waves. All five were African American women in their 90s who had come to witness the dedication of a monument to their service and a parade seven decades late. All had been members of a unique Army unit, one that had changed the face of the U.S. Army in the waning days of World War II.
The women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion snapped the stereotype that Black women would not serve their country during a global crisis. While their job did not carry much glory—they sorted letters so the letters could find their recipients—these women were pioneers, helping chart the path for future generations and making the Army the diverse reflection of America it is today.
One of those women was Deloris Ruddock, now 97, a native of Washington, D.C. Ruddock was a high school student at Cardozo Business School when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
"I was too young to have a reaction," she said about learning of the attack that brought the U.S. into World War II.
After her high school graduation, someone recommended she join the Army. Before World War II, Black women were not allowed into the military, but the war brought change. Her father had been deferred from serving, but when she asked about joining, he agreed.