World War II Veteran Romay Davis Awarded The Congressional Gold Medal For Her Contributions To The Armed Forces And Civil Rights
On July 26, Romay Davis received the coveted Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony held at Montgomery City Hall in Alabama.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor that Congress awards on behalf of all American citizens.
Romay is a World War II veteran who served as one of the eight hundred and fifty-five Black women apart of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.
She is now the oldest living member of the battalion and just one of six still alive to receive the honor.
To this day, Romay regards joining the armed forces as one of her greatest decisions in life.
“Joining the military is one of the biggest and best things I have chosen to do,” she said.
“I wish I could encourage more young people to take a stint away from home and join the military because it is one of the best educations anyone can get.”
During World War II, the “Six Triple Eight” battalion was the sole predominantly Black female unit to serve overseas.
US Air Force photo by Cassandra Cornwell; pictured above is Romay Davis
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The troops helped resolve a severe mail crisis by ensuring that American troops got their packages and letters from home.
They processed over one hundred and ninety-five mail parcels per day– providing the successful delivery of over seventeen million letters and packages by the end of their tour.
Colonel Eries Mentzer, the 42nd Air Base Wing commander and first Black woman to command the Maxwell Air Force Base, specifically requested to host Romay’s medical recognition ceremony and commended her contributions to the military and civil rights.
“The service of the 6888th demonstrated the talent and worth of minority and female Americans in service to our country abroad and paved the way for greater equal opportunity and civil rights in American communities,” Mentzer began.
“I humbly follow an exceptional legacy of Ms. Davis and the 6888th. They paved more ‘Freedom to Serve,’ and I am incredibly honored, grateful, and frankly here because of their service,” she continued.
The ceremony was aptly held on the seventy-fourth anniversary of Executive Order 9981– which banned segregation in the Armed Forces.
Afterward, state and local officials also commended Romay for her service– including Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, who signaled for her legacy to inform current reforms.
“May the honorable service of Private Romay Davis in a segregated unit that resulted in more liberties for all Americans inspire all of us to do our part to remove civil rights barriers and truly live up to our nation’s founding ideals of freedom, equality, and justice for all,” Mayor Reed said.
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