More than 70 years after the clandestine operations of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) helped the U.S. and its allies win World War II, the surviving members of the spy organization are finally getting their due from the U.S. government.
And Marvin Edwards thinks it’s about time.
Edwards, well known in Jacksonville as a local gadfly and a financial consultant, said he was informed Congress passed a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the surviving OSS members, who now number less than 100.
The OSS, a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, was formed in 1942 and played a key role in the war effort.
As far as Edwards is concerned, the medal is long overdue.
“This is very late after the acts took place,” he said.
“It’s just a final recognition by Congress — the French were ahead of the curve — to give this award to surviving members,” he said.
Edwards actually received France’s highest honor, the French Legion of Honor, three years ago in recognition of his service in that country’s fight for freedom during the war.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award given by Congress, but officers of the OSS came from all branches of the military.
Edwards was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, the forerunner to the U.S. Air Force, while he served in the OSS.
Although it took a long time to go through the process, the Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal Act had bipartisan support before final passage by the U.S. House last week.
“As the predecessor to the modern CIA, other elements of the U.S. intelligence community, and U.S. special operations forces, the OSS once boasted nearly 13,000 members, but more than 70 years after they won the war, fewer than 100 are still with us,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) in a news release.
“I know how much it means to the veterans of the OSS, as well as their families, that this legislation is finally making its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law,” he said. “Today, Congress has ensured that their courage of spirit and their love of country will long live on in our nation’s memory.”
The award will be presented in a ceremony next year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the OSS founding. Edwards said the details of the ceremony are pending but he expects it to take place at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Edwards, 95, is hoping he will be healthy enough to travel to the ceremony.
“I never thought it would get the recognition that was long overdue,” he said.