Members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion take part in a parade ceremony in honor of Joan d'Arc at the marketplace where she was burned at the stake, May 27, 1945. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was made up of 855 enlisted African-American women and officers. The battalion was commanded by Major Charity Adams Earley, the highest ranking African-American woman in the military by the end of the war. The 6888th was the only all African-American, all female battalion.It was deployed overseas first to Birmingham, England then later to Rouen, France. The women were charged with delivering mail to approximately seven million American troops stationed in Europe. The successful delivery of the mail was an important morale booster for men on the front.