Charity Adams Earley

Lt. Col. Charity Adams
Birth name	Charity Edna Adams
Born	December 5, 1918 Kittrell, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	January 13, 2002(2002-01-13) (aged 83) Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Buried	Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	Women's Army Auxiliary Corps  United States Army
Years of service	1942 − 1946
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Unit	3rd Company, 3rd Training Regiment WAAC, Fort Des Moines
Commands	6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion
Awards	Ohio Women's Hall of Fame The Smithsonian Institution's 100 Most Important Black Women in History South Carolina Black Hall of Fame Service to the Community Award Senior Citizens' Gold Watch Award Ohio Veterans' Hall of Fame Honorary doctorates from Wilberforce University and the University of Dayton
Monuments	Namesake of Fort Gregg-Adams
Spouse(s)	Stanley A. Earley ​ (m. 1949)​

Charity Adams Earley (née Adams; December 5, 1918 – January 13, 2002) was a United States Army officer. She was the first African-American woman to become an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later WACs) and was the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was made up of African-American women serving overseas during World War II. Adams was the highest-ranking African-American woman in the army by the completion of the war.

A monument honoring her was dedicated at Fort Lee, Virginia on November 30, 2018. Fort Gregg-Adams was renamed in honor of Earley and Lieutenant General Arthur J. Gregg in 2023, the first-ever U.S. military base bearing the names of African Americans.

She is portrayed by Kerry Washington as a lead character in 2024 film The Six Triple Eight showing the experience of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during their service in Europe.