By Aria Brent, AFRO Employees Author, abrent@afro.com
Col. (Ret.) Edna W. Cummings comes from a household with a historical past of serving in our nation’s army. Having initially joined the armed forces as a problem to herself, Cummings courageously overcame each impediment she confronted whereas serving, together with ones that had been based mostly on her race and gender. Forward of the Nov. 7 AFRO occasion, titled “Salute to Our Veterans,” Cummings spoke one-on-one with the AFRO about her experiences within the Military, the numerous contributions Black girls have made to the army and what we are able to do to proceed to honor our Black veterans.
She is certainly one of three honorees set to be acknowledged on the AFRO’s upcoming occasion, being an Military Reserve Ambassador for the state of Maryland, a Six-Triple Eight Congressional Gold Medal Champion and an Military Ladies’s Basis corridor of fame honoree.
AFRO: Are you able to inform me concerning the place you held whenever you served within the U.S. army?
EC: I served within the military for roughly 25 – virtually 26 years. My final task was at USNorthcom NORAD in Colorado Springs. I retired in 2003. I joined in 1978– I didn’t begin off as a colonel. I acquired my fee as an officer at Appalachian State College. I used to be within the Military ROTC program and I began out as a logistics officer educated at Fort Greg Adams, what was previously referred to as Fort Lee, Va. I did my coaching there. I served as a logistics officer, initially.
AFRO: What made you need to be part of the army ?
EC : I joined the army as a result of I think about it my “household enterprise.” My father served and I grew up on army installations and round army installations within the Fayetteville and Fort Bragg space of North Carolina, now it’s Fort Liberty. I used to be impressed by the arrogance of a few of the girls I noticed, who had been serving. I used to be impressed by the arrogance, after which the alternatives that the military afforded for journey, training, expertise, coaching and simply to do one thing totally different. Throughout that point numerous girls weren’t within the army and it was such a singular alternative. I simply need to see if I might be part of the ranks and meet the necessities and serve. It was such a singular alternative. I wished to affix the ranks myself to journey and for training, job alternatives and expertise coaching–numerous causes. It’s a powerful occupation.
AFRO: Are you able to inform me about what are a few of the challenges you confronted all through your profession ?
EC : Properly, there have been a number of challenges. One, initially, was gender.
That was a problem as a result of once I joined the Military, it was nonetheless the Ladies’s Military Corps and the Ladies’s Military Corps was not disbanded till October 1978– I joined in Could.
Once I was present process coaching in Military ROTC, we had been nonetheless below the umbrella of the Ladies’s Military Corps though we educated with males. That was a difficulty– that we had been nonetheless separate and never fairly equal. Above every part else, that was the largest problem after which simply understanding the tradition of the army on the time as a result of it’s a occupation of arms; Understanding what’s required to serve within the armed forces. I witnessed it as a member of the family – not within the ranks.
I moved loads and I had a household, so the fixed shifting each two to a few years, that sort of destabilizes the household typically. We had been attempting to carry the household collectively whereas we had been shifting and naturally, the apparent challenge of race. That was attention-grabbing, as a result of not solely was I a feminine, I used to be a Black feminine and people had been very, very uncommon on the time. Once I joined, a few of the different troops had by no means seen a Black feminine officer. I bear in mind, certainly one of my troopers saying, ‘I didn’t know they made y’all.’
We had been actually distinctive and an anomaly on the time.
AFRO: Are you able to inform me about a few of the contributions that Black girls have made to the U.S. army ?
EC: I’lI simply begin out with Harriet Tubman.
She was by no means acknowledged as being within the army formally, however she carried out army operations through the Civil Warfare, paving the way in which for enslaved folks to achieve their freedom. That’s a contribution that–to me– that’s most recognizable, however has by no means totally been honored as such. Harriet Tubman wasn’t formally within the ranks, however she carried out within the capability, in my view, as a army officer.
After the Civil Warfare, we’ve got Black girls who’ve all the time served within the army. They served through the Vietnam Warfare as nurses and as non-nurses as properly. Then you have got Black girls who served within the Korean Warfare, and who served in World Warfare II. Most notably, girls of the Six-Triple Eight served throughout World Warfare Two. There have been greater than 7,000 Black girls who served. The ladies of Six Triple-Eight are essentially the most recognizable and essentially the most celebrated of the Black girls who served as a result of they restored the mail system in Europe for the army.
Black girls are attention-grabbing, they’ve by no means been drafted, they’ve all the time volunteered to serve and that’s the largest contribution. Lots of of hundreds of Black girls have served our nation.
AFRO: What would you wish to see occur for Black people who find themselves serving within the army?
EC: Ideally, not just for the individuals who serve, however only for the nation as an entire, we’d like entry to alternatives–unrestricted entry for individuals who are searching for the chance. We have to eradicate these limitations to service– though they’re eradicated on paper, they’re nonetheless prevalent all through society. There’s nonetheless microaggressions, and , discrimination that happens. In an ideal society, that will be eradicated for which it happens now. I’d like for it to be constant.
AFRO: How can we proceed to honor our Black veterans yr spherical, however particularly on this upcoming Veterans Day ?
EC: I feel it’s simply respect. The easiest way you possibly can honor anybody is to respect them for who they’re, and never for benign options resembling pores and skin colour.
So many instances there are minorities current and immediate stereotypes happen. We are able to eradicate these stereotypes and settle for folks– particularly African Individuals– for who they’re and what they contribute; not by imposing these synthetic limitations to service.
This yr, we have a good time the seventy fifth anniversary of the desegregation of the armed forces and in addition the combination of girls into the forces. It wasn’t till 1948 that girls had been allowed to serve within the armed forces and it was totally built-in into regulation. It took girls and African Individuals, stepping up in World Warfare II, for us to have limitations come down and we’re nonetheless implementing insurance policies to offer unrestricted entry.
This text has been edited for readability.
