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Adapted from "LCDR Irwin Griffith Edwards, Dental Corps, United States Navy, Deceased"  [biography, dated 21 December 1950] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library. 

Adapted from "LCDR Irwin Griffith Edwards, Dental Corps, United States Navy, Deceased"
[biography, dated 21 December 1950] in Modern Biographical Files collection, Navy Department Library.
Topic
Document Type
  • Biography
Wars & Conflicts
  • World War II 1939-1945
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Location of Archival Materials
  • NHHC-Library

Irwin Griffith Edwards

8 April 1916-21 March 1997

PDF Version [1.2MB]

Irwin Griffith Edwards was born in Marion, Orgon, on April 18, 1916, son of Robert Lee Edwards and Leonore Edwards, both now deceased. He received his early education from Salem, Oregon, public schools, and attended Oregon State College, at Corvallis; the University of Oregon, at Eugene; and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. He received the degree of Bachelor of Science from the latter in 1941 and that of Doctor of Dental Medicine from the University of Oregon, Dental School, in 1942.

He entered the Naval Reserve as a student on February 3, 1941, and was commissioned upon graduation from Dental School as a Lieutenant (jg) in the Dental Corps of the US Navy, dating from October 6, 1942. He subsequently was promoted to Lieutenant on January 1, 1944 and to Lieutenant Commander on January 1, 1946.

Upon accepting his commission in the US Navy, he was called to active duty in October 1942, and from December of that year until June of the next, had duty at the Naval Dispensary, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington. In August 1943 he reported to the USS Fulton (AS 11), and while serving as a dental officer aboard, saw service in the Asiatic-Pacific Combat Area. He returned to the United States in February 1945 to serve until April 1946 at the Naval Air Station, Tongue Point, Astoria, Oregon, and for four months thereafter at the Naval Hospital at Corvallis, Oregon.

Reporting in August 1946 to the Navy Department Dispensary, Washington, DC, he was assigned to the Naval dental School, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, where he served until March 1947. In April he joined the USS Helena (CA 75), in which he served for two years, and in April 1949 reported for duty until August 1950 at the US Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, California. He had three months’ temporary duty in the Naval Intelligence Division, Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Operations), and in December 1950 departed for the American Embassy, Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, where he is now on duty as Assistant US Naval Attache and Assistant Naval Attache for Air.

Lieutenant Commander Edwards has the American Campaign Medal; the Pacific Campaign Medal; the World War II Victory Medal; the Philippine Liberation Ribbon; the China Service Medal, and the Japanese Occupation Medal.

He is a member of the Sigma Chi, social fraternity; the Delta Sigma Delta, Dental fraternity; and the Association of Military Surgreons.

He died March 21, 1997. 

END 

Published: Thu Feb 20 13:04:59 EST 2020