Oberlin honored Margaret E. Barnes Jones, a member of the famed Six Triple Eight

OBERLIN —They were sent there to fail. That's what many expected of the mission given to the U.S. Army's 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion that set sail for Europe in 1945, tasked with clearing a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail that had gone undelivered to soldiers on the front lines across Europe. Daniel Smith of Lorain grew up hearing stories about the fabled "Six Triple Eight," from his great-aunt, Oberlin native retired Army Maj. Margaret E. Barnes Jones. Her legacy was remembered Monday as Oberlin marked its inaugural 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and Maj. Margaret E. Barnes Jones Day with a celebration at the Oberlin Library. Jones served as the public relations officer of the battalion, the only unit composed exclusively of women of color to serve overseas in World War II. "She was on the first ship that went over. I have a letter she sent to my mom. They had to avoid German U-boats and they took a circuitous route to France and Scotland. She would always impart to us the triumph and the team spirit that together they showed, and the racism they survived, both here and abroad," Smith said. "Growing up, I thought everybody had an aunt like that." The 855 women of the Six Triple Eight first worked in Birmingham, England, landing in winter, then moved on to France. Their workplace was a freezing warehouse with broken windows, full of rats and moldering care packages of home-baked goods sent by sweethearts. It wasn't just a logistical nightmare of sorting through heaps of postcards and letters and tracking down ever-moving troops to deliver it. Mail from back home was crucial to the well-being of both service members and loved ones back home. A general estimated it would take six months to sort out the mess. The Six Triple Eight devised a 24-hour workday, working in shifts around the clock and adopted the motto: "No Mail, Low Morale." They finished the job in three months. The story of the Six Triple Eight was told in a movie released in 2024. Jones, who graduated from Oberlin High School in 1929, was a Howard University graduate and prioritized education, Smith said. When she died in 2000, her obituary was a full feature in the New York Times. She is buried alongside her husband in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. "She always stressed being the best person you could be. She would make sure I had subscriptions to National Geographic or other magazines, and she would tell me, 'It doesn't matter what you read, I just want you to read something, and continue to educate yourself.' She was always curious about me, not just academically but about me as a human being, how I was developing. She was always willing to help somebody out," he said. Smith approached Oberlin City Council to create a day to mark her achievements, which Council voted to approve Feb. 2. "Character and leadership and education were paramount in my childhood," he said. Jones' brother, Samuel E. Barnes, were the first Black brother and sister officers to serve in the U.S. military. "Oberlin helped create who she was.'' Contact Rini Jeffers at rinijeffers@gmail.com.