Thirty-three years to the day she died, on June 26, 2026, during a ceremony at the Wright Museum of World War II in Wolfeboro, Doris Moore was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal for her service during World War II as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The Six Triple Eight, as the battalion is known, never fired a shot, but it accomplished an important mission in the war against Nazi fascism. It got 17 million pieces of backlogged mail to American soldiers and sailors, boosting their morale.

A native of Portsmouth, Moore made New Hampshire history when, after taking advantage of the educational opportunities of the GI Bill, she earned a master’s degree and went on to become the first Black social worker in the Granite State.

From an article in the Manchester Union Leader, July 1, 2026:  Moore and the Six Triple Eight refused to be restricted by the limitations of their time, which included racism, her niece Liz Pettiford of Dover said. “We carry her legacy forward,” Pettiford said. The only 6888th member from New Hampshire, Moore is a source of pride to her family that has never faded, Pettiford said. Moore and her colleagues ignored the many slights directed at them and focused on the mission at hand because “they knew morale depended upon them,” Pettiford said. The Army expected the mail backlog to last at least six months, but the 6888th cleared it up within three months, Pettiford said.

Peggy Hennelly-Maniates, the Wright Museum’s executive director and emcee for the medal ceremony, emphasized how important the mail was in the 1940s. There were no cellphones, text messages, or emails. Only messages written on paper and mailed overseas, she said.

“(Moore) served her nation when the nation didn’t always serve her,” retired Air Force Master Sgt. Martha Gladu wrote in a letter read by retired Air Force Col. Edna Cummings during the ceremony.