George Edwards, WWII 'Buffalo Soldier,' dies at 96

George Edwards, a longtime desert resident who recently moved to Veterans Home of California in Chula Vista, died June 15 at the age of 96. Edwards, a member of the all-black 92nd Infantry Division, fought in Italy and North Africa during World War II.

George was one of the first World War II veterans I interviewed when The Desert Sun launched its WWII Heroes series in November 2009 – and one of my most memorable. He had a boyish smile, a kind-of-sassy sense of humor and some serious street cred. He was also a little wary of what he should tell me, since I never served in the military. I'll never forget going to his Cathedral City home with former Desert Sun photographer Crystal Chatham, whose dad served in the U.S. Army. George thought I might not understand - being a civilian and all - some of the things that "had to be done" during the war and entrusted Crystal with some of those secrets after I'd left and she was finishing taking photos. I can only imagine what he told her, considering what he'd already shared with me.

In memory of George and his service to the country, I'd like to share the story I wrote that originally appeared in The Desert Sun's World War II special section, published Nov. 11, 2009.

Black infantryman earned his title of 'Buffalo Soldier'

Army 1st Lt. George Edwards used some street-fighting skills to fend off a German officer during a scuffle on the front lines in the Northern Alps during World War II.

Armed with knives, the two duked it out until Edwards caught him in a vulnerable position.

"He bent over and I bit his ear," the 90-year-old Cathedral City resident said.

The German attempted to shake the slightly built American officer off him, but Edwards held on.

Edwards bit his ear off – and ended up on the living end of the life-and-death battle with the German officer.

"He cut me quite a bit," Edwards said. "Mostly my clothes. Luckily I was wearing a lot of clothes."

It was survival of the fittest on the front lines, and Edwards, a member of the 92nd "Buffalo Soldiers" Infantry Division – the only all-black infantry division to see combat in Europe during World War II — learned how to protect himself at a young age.

"I was born next to the Ku Klux Klan headquarters in Evansville, Ind., so I know how to fight," he said.

His childhood experiences taught him that he needed to be aggressive in order to make his way in the world.

Born into a family of 20 children, "you got to fight for what you want," he said.

When Edwards was 17 years old, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps.

"It was set up by (President Franklin) Roosevelt in 1933 to provide work for young fellows," Edwards said.

"We built bridges, planted trees, we built the country," he said. "The CCC camp was the best thing that ever happened to us."

Edwards enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 1941, though he originally wanted to join the Navy.

"The Navy wanted to offer you a cook and a baker job," he said. "I had my time in the CCC camp. I knew how to kick butts."

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Working up and down the ranks

Edwards trained at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., where he quickly made his way up the ranks.

"In three months, I was a staff sergeant. In nine months I was first sergeant. In 11 months I was master sergeant, and in 13 months I was regimental sergeant major," he said.

He attained the highest available enlisted rank in the 92nd Infantry, whose name Buffalo Soldiers descended from the oldest all-black Army divisions dating back to the Civil War.

The name "Buffalo Soldiers" is believed to have been given to the units by American Indians who fought them after the Civil War and during the American push West.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Edwards and his division moved to Needles, Calif., where the infantry took control of Boulder Dam and Parker Dam – and an area from the Las Vegas Strip area to Route 66, Edwards said.

After hitting the top enlisted rank of regimental sergeant major, where he commanded a division of 7,500 to 10,000 soldiers stateside, Edwards was sent to officer candidate school in Fort Benning, Ga.

"They needed officers," he said, so he started at the bottom of the rung again. "I lost money, I lost prestige."

Edwards, now a second lieutenant, was sent overseas with the 92nd Infantry in 1944 to join the fight in Italy and North Africa.

"We were sent out as segregated troops," Edwards said. "The U.S. Army didn't want African-American troops."

In Europe, the 92nd was commanded by "white Southern generals," Edwards said, noting that all of the top officers were white.

By order of the War Department, the highest rank a black officer could attain was first lieutenant, Edwards said.

Injury briefly sidelines Edwards

Edwards spent four months as field commander in early 1945 in the Northern Alps, where he received a combat promotion to first lieutenant – and a purple heart.

While out on a company patrol, he suffered a fractured spine after getting shot when bullets hit the ice and sent sharp, jagged pieces of ice into his back.

He spent a few months in the hospital while recovering from his injuries and then returned to the front lines.

When the war ended and he and his comrades returned to American soil; they received an unpleasant welcome.

"When we came back, they sent us to Fort McClellan, Ala., for an 'American reorientation course,'" he said. "It was hell," he said. "You stayed on the post and you obeyed those Southern laws."

War had done nothing to ease the racial tension of the Deep South in 1945.

"It was just like before you left," he said.

Once he was out of Alabama, he thought he'd leave the country rather than suffer further discrimination. "After I finished, I got in my car, drove back to Indiana, picked up my wife and children and hit the road," he said. I didn't stop until we made it to Tijuana."

Edwards ended up settling close to the border — in Chula Vista, Calif. — with his four daughters and his wife, who died during childbirth in 1953.

His son, born Aug. 19, 1953, died in 1966.