Long Overdue: The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal

Every year, March is designated as Women’s History Month—a month dedicated to honoring women’s contributions in US history.

Training in twin engine B-25 “Mitchell” bombers, the 477th never actually saw combat overseas, but fought another battle here in the United States. Formed as an all-Black unit, it became famous not for its combat record, but for its fight against the military version of “separate but equal.”

During World War II, surgeons and medical assistants created new treatments and procedures in plastic surgery that are still used in modern practice. These techniques not only improved soldiers’ physical appearance, but also their morale, by restoring their sense of pride and confidence.

While Navajo code talkers of World War II have been featured in several books and, in 2002, a Hollywood movie, in recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day it is important to remember that members of many different tribes served in this role.

Los Alamos and other Manhattan Project Sites developed across the US in 1942 and 1943.

When President Franklin Roosevelt created the War Refugee Board in January 1944, he tasked this new government agency with rescuing and providing relief for Jews and other groups facing Nazi persecution and murder in Europe. By that time, more than five million European Jews had already been murdered. The War Refugee Board staff used creativity and the near-certainty of Allied victory to aid hundreds of thousands of people in the final seventeen months of World War II.

While Rosie the Riveter manned the wartime industries, the Annie Oakleys patrolled prisons as the first female guards.

Naval Reserve officer Grace Hopper was a pioneer of computing during World War II, laying the foundation for today’s technology.

Anna M. Rosenberg turned her experiences with military affairs during World War II into a  position as the first woman to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense.