STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. Generations after the fact, the House of Representatives is awarding congressional gold medals to a World War II battalion. The 6888th was the only all-Black female unit to serve overseas, and its mission was to deliver backlogged mail to American soldiers. In a time before text and email, those envelopes were the only connection with home, and the battalion delivered 17 million pieces of mail in three months. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.