Louisiana WWII marine’s remains were identified after 82 years
By Christian Olivier,
23 days ago
NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — A Louisiana marine who died 82 years ago during World War II has now had his remains identified, and is planned to be buried on Friday.
According to the Firemen’s Charitable and Benevolent Association, on Sept. 18, 1942, the 7th Marine Regiment arrived on Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. The regiment was ordered to patrol southwest toward Mount Austen.
While patrolling on Sept. 24, the regiment found and defeated a small enemy force, and in doing so, alerted nearby Japanese troops and prompted a large firefight to begin.
On Sept. 25, 10 fallen marines were buried by their comrades. The 10 were split up, with five buried in a location called “Hill X” and the rest in a location called “Hill Y.”
Searches took place after the war had ended, but Private Randolph Ray Edwards, who was reportedly buried on Hill X, wasn’t found, as the two gravesites were lost.
Private Randolph Ray Edwards (Courtesy: Firemen’s Charitable & Benevolent Association)
Edwards was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, and after many years, laboratory analysis along with all of the circumstantial evidence available allowed scientists to identify Edwards remains on May 17, 2024.
Edwards will be buried with full military honors on Sept. 27 at Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans, where members of the Edwards family have been buried since 1894. His flag-draped casket will reportedly leave from the Greenwood Funeral Home at 5200 Canal Blvd. at 1 p.m., and will be escorted by officers with the New Orleans Police Department, sheriff’s deputies from Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Tammany parishes, and the Louisiana Patriot Guard Riders.
The procession is set to travel down Canal Boulevard to City Park Avenue, entering the cemetery through its City Park Avenue gate. The public is invited to solute Edwards along the route.
Edwards’ remains were identified thanks to a DNA sample provided by his nephew, Richard Edwards, and his great-niece, Anne Edwards Anderson, who will both represent the Edwards family at his burial.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
