The Six Triple Eight

All right, move out!

Let's go! Move it out!

He's dead! He's dead! Leave him! Come on, let's go!

Dear Billy, I'm so worried about you.

I miss you so much. Why haven't you written me back?

I don't know if this letter will get to you.

Praying for your safe return.

I miss you so much. Why haven't you written me back?

Dear William, come back soon. Is everything okay?

I've been overseas in this war for over a year now.

Dear Daddy, I miss you so much.

My dearest Michael, I am praying for your safe return.

I think of you, and that is every day.

I miss you so very much.

- Lately, it's been a long... - Here we are a short distance...

I've written two or three times recently...

Lately, it's been a long time...

I'm so worried about you. Why haven't you written to me?

Abram David, you must stop making a spectacle of yourself

by parading around with the likes--

Mary Kathryn, don't you dare.

It's not proper. Quite frankly--

Get out of her way.

I will not.

Okay. Well, fine.

Lena, German U-boat, twelve o'clock low, vector six niner, niner west.

Go!

Look out!

Don't you worry, Miss Lena Derriecott, nothing will harm you on my plane.

Pull back on the stick! German plane, three o'clock!

Whoa!

- Madam. - Thank you.

Abram David, you're gonna get me in a world of trouble.

- Oh, I'm sorry, but-- - I'm sure my mother is watching.

Sorry, but we were on a combat mission.

- We had to get away from the enemy. - Mary Kathryn is no Hitler.

Are you sure?

That's not funny.

You heard Edward R. Murrow just like I did.

He said Hitler is a monster.

And that is exactly why I'm going into the battle.

Don't give me the long face.

Just gonna miss you, that's all.

- Can't believe you're going to the Army. - Don't worry.

You see how well I drive this old Chevrolet?

Getting my practice for when I'm in the cockpit.

Abram, this is serious.

- I know you know that-- - Is this out of concern for my well-being?

Or because we won't be able to make Mary Kathryn and her friends

turn green with envy every day?

But, like, here's my thing...

It's true.

Come along now, Lena.

Yes, ma'am.

- Hi, Mrs. Derriecott. Have a great day. - You do the same, Abram.

Don't you worry, Miss Lena. I will write you every chance I get.

I see that boy done dropped you off again.

You mighty close to him.

Something you wanna tell us?

- Auntie, we are just friends. - That better be all it is.

Oh, Emma, she's soon to be 18.

Going off to the university.

There'll be a lot more boys there.

Don't rush into nothing like your mama did.

Go on and get washed up. We need you to help us tonight.

Yes, ma'am.

Lena?

- Mm. - You got the best attitude.

Your mama here wants me to make all the kosher meals and serve 'em too.

Oh.

And you'll be happy to know that Mr. David has hired me

to cater your boyfriend's party.

He's not my boyfriend.

Then why is you smiling?

I wish you wouldn't fill her head with that talk.

That boy is Jewish. That can't bit-mo be, and you know it.

Oh, Emma, she just having fun.

Well, she need to have fun with a Negro boy.

And on top of that, you talking schooling.

You know we ain't got the money to send her to that school.

Well, we gonna get all the money we need to send that girl to the university.

Well, I sure would like to see you do it, Susie.

Well, Rabbi Wise got an audience with President Roosevelt.

We must do something to help with the rescue.

Hitler has murdered two million Jews,

and I'm told women and children are in that number.

So we can't just sit idly by.

We're leaning on every official we can to get a humanitarian effort underway.

It's a horror the imagination cannot grasp.

There were concentration camps. Now there are extermination camps.

What a brave boy your Abram is.

Excuse me.

No, thank you, Lena.

Indeed, he is.

His desire was to be a Ritchie Boy, but he's not fluent in German.

Finally. The place where you belong.

I can't stay long. This party is for you. You should be in there.

Some going-away party.

All they're talking about is how bad the war is.

Well... it is.

Right now, I'd rather be out here with you.

I'm gonna miss you, Lena.

I'm gonna miss you too.

But...

But I better be going.

If my mother knew I was here, I'd be as good as dead.

Well, at least you won't kill Mary Kathryn.

She is a horrible person for treating you that way

because of the color of your skin.

It's not the only reason.

She likes you.

She thinks we're courting, even though we're not.

We're just...

friends.

Well, you tell that story enough to others.

Maybe we started to believe it ourselves.

Kiss me.

I am not kissing you. What are you saying--

You have the worst voice.

Stop it.

Stop it!

Gosh.

When you kiss me.

Lena Derriecott,

I'm in love with you.

And I know you feel the same way.

I'm gonna fight in this war, and...

I want you to wear this ring as a promise that you will wait for me to return

so that we can start to acknowledge what we have both denied for far too long.

You know this is not right in the eyes of many people.

The only eyes that matter are ours.

Lena.

Ain't you supposed to be working?

Yes, ma'am.

The tray.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

Hi, Mrs. Derriecott.

If you wanna court my daughter,

you show up at my house like a proper gentleman

and ask me and her father.

Do you understand me?

Yes, ma'am.

And when I return from the war,

that'll be my first mission.

- Anything from my boys? - I'm sorry, ma'am.

- Where you get that ring? - Cracker Jack box.

Little girl!

Sorry, Mama.

He ain't been gone no more than a few months.

Your husband been gone longer than that with no word of where he is.

You watch yourself.

I guess she didn't get no mail.

And when they start putting rings in Cracker Jack boxes?

Thousands of WACs, trained and disciplined the Army way,

are now on duty all over this country and overseas.

But thousands more are needed. Women from all walks of life.

Salesgirls, industrial workers, librarians,

housewives, entertainers...

- Put that away and pay attention, Lena. - Yes, ma'am.

...all creeds, for the next big step in their new life.

Ready to serve with the Army,

to do the jobs the Army thinks they do best.

Some do officers' training school...

Excuse me?

Oh!

Sorry.

Mama?

Was that Mr. David's car?

Uh, come and sit.

Mr. David brought this by for you.

- Mama! - I know, baby, I know.

She ain't talk much at all for weeks.

Yeah, I know.

She just closed off.

That poor boy.

They've been knowing one another since they were little.

Seemed like he just got there. Mm.

Well, I sure hope Lionel comes back with money for her schooling.

At least we can give her that.

- Has he ever come back with any money? - Don't do that.

Shh.

Thought you was sleeping.

Probably couldn't, huh?

Mama, I made a decision.

Okay.

After I graduate...

I'm going to join the Army.

I wanna fight Hitler.

Look at me, baby.

I know you are hurtin' about Abram. We all are.

But that ain't no reason for you to go to no Army.

And from what I hear tell,

ain't no Negro woman doing nothing in no Army

but cooking and cleaning for the white folks.

Hell, you can stay right here and do that.

You is going to that university.

With what money?

I'm going to join the Army...

as soon as I graduate.