Memorial Day ceremony at Lincoln Cemetery
Gettysburg’s Memorial Day observances kicked off on Sunday with a day-before Memorial Day ceremony at Lincoln Cemetery.
Jean Howard Green, President of the Lincoln Cemetery Preservation Association, welcomed the visitors and said she was proud to continue the long tradition of Memorial Day events on the Sunday preceding. She noted that 30 black Civil War veterans are buried in the cemetery, which served as a final resting place for the town’s black population for many years.
Pastor Duane Coleman of the Interfaith Family Worship Center opened the proceedings with an invocation. Matt Moon, Borough Council President, made brief remarks. He noted that the first Memorial Day event was created by a group of African Americans in Charleston, SC. He commented that “Gettysburg is a remarkable place. People come from every continent” to study the battle where so many died to uphold “the audacious idea that people are born with inherent dignity and worth.” He noted that he would be speaking the next day at the National Cemetery. “Both are hallowed ground.”
Gettysburg College professor Scott Hancock introduced the featured speaker, Arlington National Cemetery historian Kevin Hymel. Hymel discussed his article, “Fighting a Two Front War,” on which Tyler Perry’s 2024 movie “The Six Triple Eight” was based. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, all volunteers, was the only all-black, all female unit to deploy overseas in WWII. They were sent to deal with a 4-warehouse tangle of undelivered (and seemingly undeliverable) mail – enough undelivered mail to have a significant impact on morale throughout the European Theater. Famously, they were given six months to unsnarl the mess and did it in three, earning the respect and gratitude of white officers and soldiers in the process.
Hymel first encountered the 6 triple 8 in 2009 and discovered one of the great untold stories of WWII. The women had come home, no parade, no greeting, and just went on with their lives. He related some of the challenges they faced including when the Army built a segregated canteen, basically just for them. The commanding officer said, “I can’t order anyone not to go, but if we go, that means we’re accepting the system of segregation.” Not one member of the 6 Triple 8 ever went.
He also described some stories of the movie’s production. At a pre-production meeting via Zoom, Oprah Winfrey came on and told the actresses that this was an extremely important project; “the atmosphere on the set was fantastic,” he said. Serving as historical advisor, Hymel noted one day that, “This is 1943; half those GIs would have a cigarette hanging out of their mouth,” only to be told that a cigarette would automatically get the movie an R rating.
He is proud that the story has inspired so many. “People tell me, ‘I had no idea.’”
The ceremony concluded with a magnificent a capella singing of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Alicia Garner of the Interfaith Family Worship Center.
