Edna W. Cummings was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and grew up in an Army family. In 1978, she made history as the first Black woman to graduate from Appalachian State University's Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, and was commissioned in the Women's Army Corps.
Cummings served a 25-year Army career, retiring as a Colonel in 2003. Her assignments included logistics officer at Fort Lee, Virginia; quartermaster officer overseeing helicopter refueling at Fort Novosel, Alabama; Army ROTC instructor at Georgetown University; Chief of Emergency Operations at the Pentagon; and Reserve Forces Advisor for USNORTHCOM/NORAD.
After retirement, she held leadership positions managing homeland security and information technology for federal contractors. In 2021, she became Army Reserve Ambassador for Maryland, a position equivalent to a two-star general rank.
Cummings led the landmark advocacy effort to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the "Six Triple Eight" — an all-female, multi-ethnic unit that served in World War II. Her work helped secure passage of legislation awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal, which President Biden signed in March 2022. The medal was presented to over 300 unit descendants in April 2025.
She is the author of A Soldier's Life: A Black Woman's Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion (2025).