World War II Navy veteran, Charles T. Edwards visited Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Oct. 25, and met with Sailors and civilians at a special meet and greet held in honor of his visit.

Edwards, who is currently 97 years old, was accompanied by his daughter, Susan McCarthy, and his granddaughter, Kate Edwards. Although it was his fifth visit to Kauai, this marked almost 72 years since he last stepped foot on Barking Sands in the mid-1940s.

Edwards, call sign "Charlie," was stationed at then Naval Air Facility Barking Sands 1944-1945 where he piloted the F4F Wildcat assigned to the VC-66 Composite Squadron, along with the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber. He and his squadron flew wartime missions, trained for carrier deployment in the Pacific theater, and enjoyed a little rest and relaxation between flights while stationed here.

Edwards reminisced and shared many of his wartime experiences with the group during the meet and greet. In particular, he spoke of his participation in a successful strike against a Japanese submarine in the Pacific Ocean for which he was awarded the Air Medal. His squadron, VC-66 was also awarded the World War II 3-Star Presidential Unit Citation "In Honor and Remembrance of All Who Served."

In addition to his wartime experiences, Edwards shared his personal off-duty adventures while stationed on Kauai, filling the room with laughter and smiles as he recalled traveling the "bumpy dirt road" to Polihali State Park, which remains almost the same today.

When asked how things have changed, Edwards stated, "It isn't all that different than 70 or so years ago. I wouldn't change a thing for the world. I never forgot the beaches. they look as beautiful as they were then. I had some great times at this station; so many good memories here. It's like I'm home again, and I'll be back many more times."

Edwards and his family spent the remainder of the afternoon on a guided tour of the base, recollecting his time spent here at Barking Sands, and learning about PMRF's current mission.

Pacific Missile Range Facility is the world's largest instrumented multi-environment training and test range in the world.

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