He doesn’t quite fit the stereotypical mold
of a Marine but our Santa Ed did spend 20 years as an officer in
the infantry in the United States Marine Corps.
He was an NROTC scholarship student at UNC
and was commissioned a second lieutenant when he graduated with
his degree in Journalism in 1958.
He traveled to many places and had many
adventures. Don’t ask him about them unless you are prepared to
spend hours being regaled with tales of adventure in all kinds
of exotic places.
In Vietnam he was an advisor to the
Vietnamese Army and he has a unique perspective on that war. He
also met and became involved with many missionaries from several
countries who were serving the Lord under less than ideal
circumstances. He claims that is where his desire to serve the
Lord was ignited which resulted in the FODAC ministry.
He was a competitive marksman and earned
the coveted Distinguished Marksman Award with the high-powered
rifle.
He served in the ceremonial post of the
Corps in Washington, DC, appeared in ceremonies at the White
House and was part of the honor guard for the funeral for John
F. Kennedy.
He served as CO of the Marine Detachment
aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Albany while it was the
flagship for the successful recovery of a lost nuclear bomb off
the coast of Palomares, Spain.
He came to Atlanta to be the public affairs
officer and recruitment advertising officer for the seven
southeastern states. He instituted and managed a very
aggressive PR campaign and personally produced several
television and radio ads, performing in some of them himself.
His final tour was as public affairs
officer of the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, SC where he
started a 30 minute weekly military news program on the local
public broadcasting TV station. He was technical director, a
camera operator and on-air personality, winning a national award
in the process. While in Beaufort he also was a radio disc
jockey on radio station WBEU. He went by the name, “Paul
Edwards, the Golden Boy of WBEU.” He had quite a following. He
retired on March 1, 1978 and he, “Never looked back.”
Of his career, Santa Ed says, “There is
nothing quite as thrilling as being shot at and missed. It
happened in Vietnam and it happened on Piedmont Road in
Atlanta. Both were real thrills. I did learn a work ethic in
the Corps which has served me well and I am grateful that I was
able to serve and survive.”
