During World War II in Europe, mail delivery from and to the troops in the war became spotty at first and eventually was completely halted. Entire aircraft hangers filled up with undelivered bags of mail with no hope in sight. This demoralized the soldiers, who did not get any mail from home, and also created horrific anxiety when parents and relatives at home didn’t hear from their sons and daughters overseas in the war.

The 6888th Battalion was an all-black Woman’s Army Corps, with 855 female soldiers, commanded by Major Adams. The military brass didn’t believe women, let alone black woman, could meaningfully serve in the war. The soldiers faced open racial discrimination and abuse not only from common soldiers, but all the way from the general corps. When the 6888th was mobilized to Europe to sort and deliver the mail, nobody believed it was possible and they were set up to fail.

They were given six months to do the job, and Major Adams agreed to get it done. Little did she know that there were 17 million pieces of mail involved,  entire mountains of letters.

The Six Triple Eight is a historical drama with appearances of a few major actors in minor roles, including Dean Norris, who we know as Hank in Breaking Bad, as General Halt, Susan Sarandon as Eleonor Roosevelt and Sam Waterston as President Roosevelt. Also notable is Oprah Winfrey as Mary McLeod Bethune, the famous civil rights activist and member of the inner circle of Roosevelt. Kerry Washington does a remarkable job playing Major Adams.

This movie is about racial discrimination and the challenges black woman faced in the mid 20th century. There are a lot of heroes in the story, and eventually the underdogs succeed against all odds. It’s a bit of a tear jerker and overall a quite satisfying movie.