Vet of ‘Six Triple Eight’ regiment made US history before returning to inspire NC town
EDITOR’S NOTE: In honor of Black History Month, The Charlotte Observer is highlighting the lives and accomplishments of nine people whose contributions might not be as well known as others, local “hidden figures” as it were.
During World War II, Hickory resident Elizabeth Barker Johnson faced danger overseas along with other Black women in the U.S. Army. She was a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the first and only all-Black and all-female regiment stationed overseas during the war.
The unit was in the Women’s Army Corps, where more than 855 soldiers cleared several years of backlogged mail in harsh conditions. Johnson served as a truck driver delivering supplies for the unit while stationed in Kentucky and Birmingham, England.
Johnson also helped with mail sorting in Rouen, France, northwest of Paris. All told, the group helped move more than 7 million letters and parcels to soldiers on the front lines.
And if the battalion’s name sounds familiar, that might be because their exploits were highlighted in the recent Tyler Perry Netflix film called “The Six Triple Eight” starring Kerry Washington.
Johnson grew up in Elkin City, which didn’t have a high school for Black students. She had to travel more than 40 miles to attend Atkins High School in Winston-Salem for her education and to get her diploma.
After returning from the war, Johnson became the first woman to enroll on the GI Bill at Winston-Salem Teachers College (now Winston-Salem State University). She earned a degree in education in 1949.
Johnson was a public school teacher for more than 30 years and also spent 15 years volunteering in the Catawba County Schools system.
In 2019, at age 99, she was honored by Winston-Salem State and walked across the stage with the graduating class during a commencement ceremony.
Johnson had missed her own graduation ceremony back in the 1940s because she had to teach school in Virginia and was unable to find a sub. Some 70 years after graduating, the 2019 ceremony fulfilled a dream of hers, according to the HBCU.
Johnson died at age 100 in August 2020.
At the time, WSSU Chancellor Elwood Robinson posted this statement on Facebook, the Winston-Salem Journal reported: “She is one of the most incredible people I have met during my time on the planet. Thank you for your service and your life! I will miss you! I am a better person because of meeting you!”
‘They set out to do a job’
During Black History Month, the city of Hickory is hosting a program about Johnson’s life. Her daughter Cynthia Scott will share stories and memorabilia. It’s scheduled for 2 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Ridgeview Recreation Center, 115 7th Ave. SW, Hickory.
In an interview with The Charlotte Observer, Scott said her mother was proud to serve her country while keeping soldiers connected to their families through the mail
“I am proud of her for wanting to do that,” Scott said. “Back then being an African American and a woman in the military, they looked down on them and thought there were things they could not do. But she, along with the other ladies in her battalion, proved them wrong.
“They set out to do a job and they did it well.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
