Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘The Six Triple Eight,’ a battalion is tasked with clearing up millions of mail that have been in backlog for months, if not years. The task, considered incredibly difficult, if not impossible, is given to the 6888th battalion, which comprises entirely of women of color. It is clear to the battalion’s leader, Major Charity Adams, that they are not given this mission because the upper brass believes in them. They were specifically given this mission because no one believed that the battalion could do it. So, the women set out to prove all the haters wrong, one of whom is General Halt. SPOILERS AHEAD
General Halt is the Fictional Rendering of a Real General
With all the odds stacked against them, the women of the 6888 battalion are determined to prove their mettle, but there are people who don’t just wish them failure but also actively work to make things more difficult for them. General Halt is among those people, and his prejudice for the battalion, especially Major Charity Adams, becomes clear with each decision he makes. A lot of his part has been dramatized to give a proper villain to the story, but his arc isn’t entirely fictional. There is no record of General Halt and his pursuit of creating problems for the 6888. However, in her memoir, Adams talked about a general, whom she did not name, who did things similar to what we see in the movie.
In fact, one scene in particular has been plucked right out of reality, and some of the dialogue that happened in real life between Adams and the general has been borrowed word for word in the movie. Adams wrote of the general who once came to inspect the battalion, their living space, and their workplace. By that time, the battalion had worked up a system where they worked around the clock, which meant that by the time the general came for a visit, some women were off the clock and resting in their quarters. Major Adams didn’t find it right to wake them up for the general’s visit because she knew that the women had earned their rest after an exhausting eight-hour long shift.
When the general discovered that some soldiers were sleeping, he was infuriated. He picked up on their work and declared the entire battalion highly incompetent, especially under Adams’ command. The angry general said that he would have Adams removed from her post and send a white male lieutenant in her stead. A generally calm and composed Adams lost her temper and told the general that it would happen over her dead body. While standing up against the prejudiced general was justified, Adams knew that she would be court-martialed for this.
In the movie, General Halt is not able to carry his plans forward, but in real life, the general is ready to file charges against Adams. In return, Adams accused the general of violating the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Command’s rule against racism and segregation. Due to this, the general decided to take back his charges, in return for which Adams took back her case, leaving both her and the general to go their separate ways without causing any harm to each other.
Adams standing up to her, be it with her words or her smartly drawn-up charges, impressed the general. He hadn’t expected her to fight back, but when she did, he couldn’t help but respect her for it. Adams revealed in her memoir that she met the general again a few months later, who apologized for his actions, explaining that he wasn’t used to being spoken out against due to his position of authority. However, he respected that she “challenged” and “outsmarted” him. The movie presents this scene to underline Adams’ dedication to her work and her battalion, as well as her resolve to fight for what’s right, no matter the consequences.
Read More: Are Johnnie Mae Burton, Dolores Washington, and Elaine White Based on Real 6888 Soliders?
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