In-Person Event | May 18, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. EST | Free
New Jersey’s First “Six Triple Eight Day”
Ceremony to honor 27 NJ African American women for WWII service
Allentown, NJ. On Sunday, May 18, 2025 beginning at 3 pm New Jersey will, for the first time, officially honor the 27 African American women from across the State who served in the 6888th Central Postal Battalion of the Women’s Army Corps. during World War II. The women received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022 for clearing a backlog of over 17 million pieces of mail to and from 7 million U.S. servicemen fighting in the European Theater of World War II in just three months during 1945. The 855 women of the “Six Triple Eight” were the only African American women to serve in Europe during the war.
The ceremony on May 18th will take place at the grave of Marion VanOrkey, an Allentown, NJ native who was a member of the Battalion and whose story prompted The Allentown Village Initiative (TAVI) to seek passage of a bill designating every May 18th as “Six Triple Eight Day” in New Jersey. Ms. VanOrkey rests in Allentown Methodist Cemetery, located at the corner of Hamilton & Broad Streets in Allentown, NJ. She was born on May 18, 1914.
State Senator Shirley Turner, president pro tempore of the New Jersey Senate, sponsored the bill and will attend the ceremony. The bill was recently signed into law by Governor Philip D. Murphy. The ceremony will also be attended by members of Ms. VanOrkey’s family, who still live in the community.
The public is welcome to attend this free event sponsored by TAVI, a volunteer community service organization dedicated to historic preservation, the arts and support of our small business community. For more information visit www.allentownvinj.org. or email [email protected]