The Forgotten Front: Women in Service
FEATURING COL. ERIES L.G. MENTZER
Monday, March 31, 2025
6 p.m. Wine Reception | 6:30 p.m. (CT) Program
Online and Onstage | Live from the Truman Forum
Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, 4801 Main, Kansas City, MO
Captain Charity Adams drilling her battalion, the Six Triple Eight (National Archives)
The fourth installment of the popular Women Rising series welcomes Colonel (Retired) Eries Mentzer, the first Black woman to command Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama, to tell the story of the trailblazing women and the actions of President Harry S. Truman that paved the way for her freedom to serve.
The 6888th Central Directory Postal Battalion was the only unit of mostly-Black American women to be sent overseas during the Second World War. The mission? Boost the morale of 7 million war-weary American service members stationed throughout Europe in 1945 by labeling, sorting and clearing millions of pieces of mail. The stockpile, left languishing in warehouses for months, even years, was predicted to take six months to process. The battalion, nicknamed “Six Triple Eight,” did it in just three. Their work is the subject of Tyler Perry’s newest Netflix film.
However, the only all-female unit to go forward in World War II was not recognized until 2022, when they received a Congressional Gold Medal. Col. Mentzer had the honor of presenting the medal to one of the surviving members of the original 855 who served in the Six Triple Eight. The 6888th’s exemplary service and valor helped inspire President Truman to take two significant steps in the journey towards equal rights: the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act granting women permanent rather than auxiliary military service status, and Executive Order 9981 desegregating the U.S. military.
Hear from Col. Mentzer about the powerful role of the 6888th and other trailblazing women, especially women of color, in shaping America’s military, and her career and work to honor these veterans and their families.
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Featured Guest
Mentzer at TEDxJacksonville (Amanda Rosenblatt)
ERIES MENTZER is a U.S. Air Force veteran with more than 25 years of military service. A wife, mother and self-described “Status Quo Challenger,” she has persisted as often the first, only, or one of the few Black or female leaders in her formations.
She is among an elite collective of military officers trusted to lead an American military base, securing the “Freedom to Serve” for more than 42,000 active duty, guard, reserve, civilian and military families at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Her passion for securing more “Freedom to Serve” (a reference to President Truman’s landmark report on integrating the U.S. Armed
Forces) led her to develop and implement more inclusive policies and practices to excite today’s generations to join or stay in the military.
Her recent appearance on the TEDx stage was hailed as an unqualified triumph.
“Extraordinary…inspired!” – TEDx Jacksonville, Florida
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Women Rising
Women Rising is generously sponsored by the Martha Jane Phillips Starr Field of Interest Fund to profile the women who found their place on the world stage during the Truman administration; to reflect on the contributions of women; and to serve as a catalyst for promoting women as activists and leaders. Additional support provided by the Gattermeir Family Foundation.
WATCH PAST “WOMEN RISING” EVENTS
2024 The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win World War II and Shape Modern America, featuring Christopher Gorham
2023 Code Girls: The Riveting, Untold Story of the Brave Young American Women who Cracked German and Japanese Code to Help Win World War II, featuring Liza Mundy
2022 The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, featuring Katherine Sharp Landdeck
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