Langhorne WWII Veteran, 102, Passes Hours After Watching a Birthday Parade in His Honor

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men walking a bombed street
Image via JonnyWest91 at Creative Commons.
After the invasion of Normady, Eugene Edwards of Langhorne spent the remainder of World War II in Germany.

Eugene Edwards of Langhorne — a WWII veteran who spent the entirety of the conflict in North Africa and Europe — passed away at 102 at St. Mary Medical Center. Just hours before, he was watching a birthday parade out his window, a large-scale celebration of his 102nd year. Noah Zucker recorded the bittersweet day for PhillyVoice.

Edwards had been a Langhorne resident since age 8, when his family moved there just after the Great Depression. He joined the military in 1941, two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew the U.S. into the global conflict.

He was present in at least two of the war’s significant invasion efforts: Sicily and Normandy. Once he reached Germany, he continued to serve there until peace was declared. His commendations include a medal from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, then the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force.

Edwards believed his deep faith protected him from the ravages of the war. He asserted that daily prayer shielded him from harm while serving in the 9th Infantry Division, which endured over 23,000 wartime injuries and deaths.

His post-war years were spent as a heavy machine operator for the James D. Langhorne Construction Company.

He is survived by his son, two grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

More on WWII Veteran Eugene Edwards is at the Philly Voice.

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