‘Living Legend’ From East Orange Is A Trailblazing Woman Veteran

EAST ORANGE, NJ — Civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune once said that “the true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood.” And former East Orange resident Gladys Blount is a living testament to this statement.

East Orange officials recently paid tribute to Blount, one of 855 women who were selected from more than 6,000 African American women serving in the Army Air Corps and Service Corps during WWII to become part of the exclusive all-Black, all-woman Central Postal Directory Battalion.

A beautician before the war, Blount said she initially enlisted because she was restless and concerned as “there were only old men and young boys around.” As an able-bodied young woman, Blount said she was compelled to help in any way she could.

Upon her sister’s suggestion, Blount joined the armed forces and completed basic training on Des Moines, IA before being assigned to Fort Benning in Georgia. While working in the dispensary at Fort Benning, Blount seized the chance to go overseas, an opportunity which would satisfy her strong desire to travel around the world.

“I felt secure because there were so many women with me,” Blount recalled.

Although Blount acknowledged experiencing several incidents of racism and segregation during her tour, she said that those moments were eclipsed by the mission at hand.

“Our assignment may have seemed simple, but the work we did was important to so many,” she said, citing the motto edged in her memory: “No Mail, Low Morale.”

Blount, who celebrated her 100th birthday this past June, is reportedly one of only six surviving members from that trailblazing group of women, according to East Orange officials.

Blount used to live at 32 North Oraton Parkway and raised her two children there, and is now a source of pride in East Orange, officials said, including Mayor Ted Green, who visited her in Ruskin, Florida to deliver a message of thanks and the key to the city.

“Words cannot adequately express how proud we are of our native daughter, Mrs. Gladys Blount — who during a time of racial strife both home and abroad — courageously answered the call to duty for our country,” Green said, adding that there are plans to rename her old street in East Orange in tribute to her service.

“This honor is long overdue and we found it fitting that we make this special trip to visit Mrs. Blount in her home and recognize her as one of our living legends on whose shoulders we humbly stand,” Green added.

The mayor also presented Blount with a Green Medal of Honor, a new award to bestow the city’s highest expression for East Orange citizens who have “made notable contributions and achievements with global impact.”

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