Rear Admiral (Ret.) Clyde Marsh Speaks at Nation’s First Ceremony Honoring African American Women in the Military

Alabama A&M University alumnus and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Clyde Marsh returned to solemn duty on September 23, when he delivered the keynote address during a historic ceremony honoring Evelyn C. (Preston) LeSueuer, a member of the famed Six Triple Eight Battalion who was buried in an unmarked grave. The event, held at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, Pennsylvania, marked the first ceremony of its kind in the nation to recognize the often-forgotten sacrifices of African American women in the military.

LeSueuer’s newly designated military headstone and full honors were presented more than 13 years after her passing, as part of the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference’s Unmarked Graves Project. The initiative seeks to identify and honor African American veterans resting in unmarked or improperly marked graves across the commonwealth, ensuring their service is remembered with the dignity they earned.

“It was an incredible privilege to represent our agency in recognizing Sergeant LeSueuer and the women of the Six Triple Eight,” said Marsh. “They carried out one of the most extraordinary missions of World War II, and they did it with grace, courage, and professionalism under difficult circumstances.”

LeSueuer was born in Philadelphia in 1916, the eldest of eight children. A graduate of West Catholic High School for Girls and the Pioneer Business School, she joined the Women’s Army Corps during World War II and deployed to Birmingham, England, in 1945 at the height of combat operations. Later stationed in France, she served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion – known as the Six Triple Eight – the only all-Black, all-female unit to serve overseas during the war.

Tasked with clearing a three-year backlog of mail to U.S. troops, the 855 women of the Six Triple Eight processed more than 17 million pieces of correspondence in record time. Their work restored a vital morale link between soldiers and their families, often under harsh combat conditions and in the face of segregation.

LeSueuer continued her military career during the Korean War, serving in Japan and completing 22 years of service before retiring at the rank of sergeant. Her legacy, and that of her battalion, was recently recognized when the Six Triple Eight was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in April 2025, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. Their story also reached a new generation through Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight,” released on Netflix last December.

For Marsh, the opportunity to speak at LeSueuer’s ceremony carried personal and professional meaning. A 1973 graduate of Alabama A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in military science, he was among the founding members of the University’s Army ROTC program. Following his commissioning as an Ensign, Marsh served more than 30 years as a Surface Warfare Officer, leading at every level aboard ship afloat and Amphibious Warfare Staff positions during both peace and wartime. He retired from the Navy in 2004 and later served as Alabama’s Commissioner and Director of Veterans Affairs before joining the VA’s Senior Executive Service in 2018, where he now serves as Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

“The women of the Six Triple Eight not only rose to the task of heavy lifting and overcoming obstacles placed before them by their own service,” Marsh said. “They did it professionally, with style, and in record time. These women heroes not only paved the way for Black women but for all women in military service.”