Novella Auls was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 30, 1921. When the U.S. became involved in World War II, Novella saw an opportunity for advancement when it was decided that Blacks could enlist in the newly-created Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps or WAAC. The WAAC had been established to “free a man to fight,” giving women the opportunity to serve in non-combat roles. It had initially been decided that, since the WAAC was only a temporary response to the wartime emergency, Black women would not be permitted to enlist. Once this barricade was lifted, Novella enrolled in the WAAC from Montgomery, Alabama in April 1943.
By 1945 the Army had a problem with millions of pieces of mail that had yet to be sorted and delivered to troops fighting in the European Theater. Knowing that a letter from home could boost the resolve of the GIs at the front, the need to settle this backlog was urgent, and the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, or “Six Triple Eight,” were given this task.
Auls and the other members of the Six Triple Eight arrived in England starting in February 1945, with the motto “No Mail, Low Morale” to guide them. The women of the 6888th were predominately Black, although there were Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women in the unit as well. If they thought that the racial troubles that had plagued them in the United States were behind them, they were sadly mistaken.
Auls later spoke of service with the Six Triple Eight:
“During World War II…all the black units were segregated…On some posts there were two WAC detachments, a white and a black…They did not participate in any type of sports together, they did not socialize or anything like that and they usually worked in separate [spaces].”
The Six Triple Eight followed behind the advance of the U.S. forces, moving from England to France, sorting out mail backlogs as they went. In addition to her duties in the mailroom, Novella also found time to coach the unit’s softball team, which competed in a tournament in Namur, Belgium.
Auls was discharged from the Army in November 1945, but later reenlisted in 1950. Commenting on the social conditions for Blacks in the Cold War Army, she said, “[by 1950] they integrated the service and then things started to gel a little bit, but there was always a problem, we still had to prove ourselves”
Auls retired from the Army in 1967 and died in Newport News, Virginia on March 24, 1989. Sadly, she did not live to see the Six Triple Eight receive the Congressional Gold Medal in March 2021.   *The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. 

NOVELLA AULS

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