When Edna Cummings joined the ROTC program at Appalachian State University, it was only the second year women were allowed to participate.
“I joined because I was so intrigued by the military… and it was something that women just didn’t do,” she said.
Cummings grew up in an Army family and saw the challenge as an opportunity.
“I thought, if I could figure out how to navigate a complex system like the military, the rest of my life would be easy.”
While there were a few other women in the program, Cummings was the only Black woman.
“I didn’t find out until three decades later that I was the very first,” she said. “Didn’t know, didn’t care.”
While from North Carolina, she chose Appalachian State sight unseen, but was glad she did.
“It had some of the best natural terrain for military training,” she said. “My dad was enlisted, and I wanted to commission and become an officer. It was great to see him proud of the fact that I was an officer. He didn’t see a lot of African-Americans as officers when he joined in the 1940s.”
Cummings was commissioned as a logistics officer and served across the country — from her first assignment at Fort Lee to her role in helping establish the U.S. Northern Command. She retired as a colonel in 2003 after 25 years of service.
But retirement failed to slow her down. She found herself drawn to the story of Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the first Black woman to become an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, often referred to as “the Six Triple Eight.” The all-Black, all-women battalion served overseas during World War II, ensuring that millions of pieces of backlogged mail reached U.S. troops.
“The story resonated with me–as a veteran, as a Black woman,” Cummings said. “I made it my mission to advocate for these women who did not have a voice.”
Advocacy grew into action. Cummings, along with Cmdr. Carlton Philpot, worked to raise funds to build a monument commemorating the Six Triple Eight on Fort Leavenworth. The memorial was dedicated in 2018. She also co-produced the documentary “TheSixTripleEight: No Mail, Low Morale,” released the following year.
“If you tell a good story, it’s amazing how many people you reach. Our story was unifying,” she said. Netflix eventually took notice, producing a Tyler Perry-directed docudrama based on the battalion.
In 2021, she took her advocacy to Washington, working with congressional leaders to introduce a bipartisan bill that would award the Six Triple Eight the Congressional Gold Medal. It passed the House unanimously, and President Joe Biden signed the Six Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Act into law in March of 2022.
Cummings is helping to take the Six Triple Eight story from screen to stage. A Broadway musical is in development. She serves as the project’s historical consultant.
And in the midst of all of that, she wrote her memoir. “A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion” was released earlier this year–cementing her role as both a trailblazer and a champion for the women who came before her.
