Founder of local NABMW chapter dies

CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Gladys Schuster Carter, the founder of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Association of Black Military Women (NABMW), passed away Tuesday morning in Chesapeake at the age of 87.

Carter served in WWII as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. According to Carter's biography, the 6888th Battalion was the first and only all-African-American, all-female unit to serve overseas in World War II.

The 6888th was credited with clearing seven football fields of backlog mail in just 90 days, ensuring the packages and letters arrived to troops throughout the European theater.

Carter served in the Army from 1943-1945, and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the National Association of Black Military Women.

Carter served as the Chairperson of the Organizational Structure Committee when the NABMW was formed. She served as the first Chairperson of the NABMW Northeast Region and sat on the NABMW Executive Board. She was a founding member of the Hampton Roads chapter.

Funeral services for Carter are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Friday at the Church of the Messiah, 816 Kempsville Road, Virginia Beach. A viewing for Carter is scheduled for Thursday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Graves Funeral Home on Church Street in Norfolk.