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S/Sgt Nelson C. Edwards attended the Whitmell Farm Life School and was employed at the Dan Miller Mill.

He enlisted in Roanoke, Virginia on 16 March 1943.

For his actions in Italy on 16 February 1944, at the time with the rank of private first class, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal in June 1944. The citation cited: In spite of heavy machinegun, machine pistol, and rifle fire, he hurried to intercept an enemy platoon which had broken through our outpost position, and single-handedly held up its advance for several minutes until the remainder of his squad could take up flight. Thereafter, when the enemy platoon withdrew, he rose up in view of the gunner of a hostile machinegun and for five minutes poured such a heavy stream of bullets in his direction that the gunner had to take cover.

This heroic action allowed the evacuation of two wounded members of his squad.

On 3 August he was promoted to Staff Sergeant.

On 31 October 1944, in France, he wrote a letter home telling that everything was alright. Around that time he was severly wounded in action by artillery shell fragments to his kidneys and loin. He died of his wounds on 1 November 1944. The exact location where he died is unknown.