LAKE MILTON Hero gets medals earned in World War II

Pershing Edwards said getting his medals is the best Christmas present he could have received.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
LAKE MILTON -- Christmas came early this year for Pershing O. Edwards when he finally got the medals he earned in World War II 57 years ago.
The European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, designating participation in a battle, is among the medals Edwards was awarded for duty as a Sherman tank driver in France and Germany in 1944.
"It was the best Christmas present I could have received. I almost got a tear in my eye," he admitted when he saw the medals.
In addition, he received the Victory, American Service and Good Conduct medals.
Edwards, 83, was drafted July 27, 1944, at age 26. He was married at the time and his daughter Gail was 4. He was discharged Jan. 23, 1946.
In the service: During his 18 months in the Army, he drove a Sherman tank in Company B, 47th Tank Battalion, 14th Armored Division.
In what Edwards called the "rat race," he said his outfit chased the Germans through France and Germany.
"We had them on the run. We were almost to Austria when the war ended. We were going to go to Japan and then the bombs were dropped," he said.
Edwards said the tanks in his outfit were called 'the liberators' "because we set free so many prisoners. I got the Bronze Star for action on the Austrian side of Muhldorf," he said.
Remembering the war more than half a century ago, Edwards said he "would spend the whole night in the tank. I could hear sniper bullets all around."
He said he and his buddy were on foot on reconnaissance patrol one day and they unexpectedly came upon a German machine gun emplacement.
"We froze, but no one was there. He must have gone to the bathroom or something, so we took his gun and ammo and beat it back to our outfit," he said with a laugh.
"We had chased the Germans out of a hotel at Muhldorf and we had German prisoners to clean up for us. One was a real young boy whose shoes were worn out. I had two new pairs of German boots, so I gave him a pair. I felt sorry for him. Wars are created by someone whose brain has flipped," Edwards said.
He left the service and went back to working at the Ravenna Arsenal and rearing a family.
Over the years: But for many years, Edwards had been bothered that he hadn't received his medals. He never did anything about it, said Fern, his wife of 62 years.
Finally his son Thomas, of Rochester, Pa., and his other children decided to try to get the medals and surprise him on his 83th birthday July 20, 2001.
He had to sign some papers first, and the surprise was spoiled. Eventually the paperwork was completed through the auspices of U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant's Youngstown office, and the mailbox watch began.
Edwards said he usually checks the mail himself, but on Nov. 29 for some reason, Fern went out for the mail.
"Anything important?" Edwards asked.
"Come and see," said his wife.
It was the long-coveted medals.
Edwards had a number combat experiences, but came through the war unscathed. His only real injury occurred when he was hit on the back of the head during tank training.
Some vertebrae were compressed and he spent 21/2 months in the hospital. Because of the injury, his first two fingers and thumb have no feeling.
He said the injury probably saved his life. While recuperating in the hospital, his outfit was sent to the Pacific and got wiped out, Edwards said.
Before Edwards was drafted, he worked at Atlas Powder Co. in Tamaqua, Pa. He was transferred to the Ravenna Arsenal, where Atlas was the operating contractor, and had many jobs over the years. While there, he took a correspondence course to learn to become a waste plant operator.
While Edwards was in the Army, Fern moved back to Tamaqua and lived in a trailer in her mother's yard. When Edwards returned home and to his job at the arsenal, he moved his family to Lake Milton, where they built a home they still live in today.
Edwards and Fern were married 62 years Nov. 1 and went together two years before that. "I think the same of her today as I did then," he said.
Edwards was known at work for having a joke for every occasion, and is also a diviner. "I've found a lot of wells for people," he said.
Discovery: At one point, Edwards was taking so much aspirin for pain from his Army training head injury that his stomach was being ruined. He discovered that goat's milk cured him, so he and his wife decided to raise purebred dairy goats. They raised the goats and sold them for 15 years before selling the herd a few years ago.
Also, for 29 years, the Edwardses were western-style square dancers and at one time belonged to five clubs. Also, they enjoy bird-watching on a large scale. They have more than 20 birdhouses and six or seven bird feeders around the yard, many of which he built.
The Edwards have five children: Gail Moore in West Virginia; Diane Edwards of Howland; Sheila Klegg of Newton Falls; Thomas of Rochester, Pa.; and William of Lake Milton.
alcorn@vindy.com