Looking back on her remarkable career, retired Army Colonel Edna W. Cummings can justly say that “the odds ain’t good, but good stuff happens.” Those words were never truer than on April 29, 2025, when Cummings, author of ”A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise from Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion” realized her dream: to witness the 6888th Battalion—the only Black, all women US Army unit in the Second World War—receive the highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal.
In “A Soldier’s Life,” Colonel Cummings narrates her path from childhood to soldier to advocate and how she overcame incredible odds not only for herself but on behalf of those who had come before her. As inspiring as it is improbable, her memoir is about much more than just herself. It chronicles Cummings’s unlikely but successful path to leadership roles in the Army and afterward and tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion and the grassroots campaign Cummings led to honor them.
Known as the Six Triple Eight, the trailblazing African American World War II Women’s Army Corps unit is now the subject of a 2019 documentary produced by Cummings, a 2024 Netflix film for which she was a consultant and a Broadway-bound musical.
Edna first became aware of the Battalion after her retirement from a distinguished military career. “I’d read online about the 6888th a few years prior,” Edna writes, “and the project excited me. I wanted to help honor these World War II–era Black women.”
Her tireless work “was integral to the creation of a monument to the 6888th and having the unit honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.” (Library Journal) More rewarding than the Award itself, to Edna, was meeting the families of the women who had served, some of whom weren’t even aware that their mother, aunt, grandmother, etc. had been a part of this pioneering battalion.
Edna W. Cummings is a retired U.S. Army colonel, and a consultant based in the Washington, D.C., area.
Reviews of the book so far have been positive.
“‘A Soldier’s Life’ is an inspiring and personal journey through the remarkable career of Retired Army Colonel Edna W. Cummings. She defied the odds to rise to leadership in the U.S. Army, but her story is about more than just her own path. Driven by a deep passion to honor the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion—an all-Black women’s unit from World War II—Cummings fought tirelessly to secure their recognition. Thanks to her relentless efforts, these 855 trailblazers were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022. This memoir is both a tribute to their legacy and a testament to the power of perseverance,” said Frances Murphy Draper, CEO and publisher of the AFRO-American Newspapers.
“There are plenty of autobiographies of white male military officers, but Cummings’s story stands out as an important account by a Black woman officer continuing the work of those who came before her. A perfect and timely book highlighting the benefits of diverse organizations,” writes the Library Journal.
CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell also lauded the book, saying “Colonel Cummings writes about finding purpose and explains in vivid detail the arduous task of recognizing Black women whose incredible accomplishments were ignored by their country for too long. Her actions inspire readers to uplift and honor those who serve in the U.S. military.”
Book Title: “A Soldier’s Life: A Black Woman’s Rise From Army Brat to Six Triple Eight Champion”
Publication Date: May 2025
272 pages, 6 x 9
$29.95 X Cloth ISBN 978-0-8139-5314-4 | eBook available