Rank / Rating: BM1-Boatswain's Mate First Class
Roland enlisted in the US Navy on February 19, 1942 at Los Angeles, CA. He received his basic training in Chicago, IL., and arrived back at San Diego receiving station on April 11, 1942. From there he transferred to the receiving station at San Francisco, CA., to await his new assignment.
From San Francisco he made the short trip to Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallego, CA. USS Indianapolis CA-35 was at Mare Island for overhaul and alterations following her service in the Pacific with Task Force 12. He went aboard Indianapolis on April 18, 1942, with a rate of AS (Apprentice Seaman).
Indy departed San Francisco four days later, April 22, 1942, to escort convoy PW2070 to Australia. This was Roland’s first time at sea and it would be an exceptionally long voyage. Indianapolis steamed for 20 days before arriving at Point Phillips, Australia. She remained there only three days before departing for Pearl Harbor, another voyage of 11 days.
Two days after arriving at Pearl Harbor, Indy steamed to the North Pacific to the Aleutian Islands off Alaska. “The weather along this barren chain of islands is noted for continuous coldness; persistent and unpredictable fogs; constant rain, snow, and sleet; and sudden storms with violent winds and heavy seas.” [DANFS]
On June 19, 1942, his rate advanced to S2c while Indianapolis was in Kodiak, AK.
November 1, 1942 was a special day for Roland when his rate advanced to S1c while Indianapolis was still in service in the Aleutians.
Throughout the spring and summer of 1943, Indy was in Aleutian waters escorting American convoys and covering amphibious assaults.[DANFS] During this time, Roland was granted leave and he traveled to Fairfield, Solano Co., CA. Fairfield was located about 45 miles from San Francisco. There, on April 22, 1943, he married Milda (Mildred) A. Kight. (In later documents her name is noted at Kight, not Knight.)
The date he returned to Indianapolis is unknown.
On August 1, 1943, Roland advanced to COX (Coxswain)
Note: There was no Boatswain’s mate 3/c in the Navy at this point. A third class petty officer of this rating was COX.
On February 1, 1944, he advanced to the rating of BM2c (Boatswain’s Mate 2nd class).
After serving in the Navy for 25 months and 19 days, on April 7, 1944 Roland was Honorably Discharged “in order to effect enlistment in the U. S. Navy.
The same day he enlisted on board for 4 full years. He was no longer a member of the USN Reserve, but now the US Navy. Going forward, Roland was listed in ship records with an enlistment date of April 7, 1944.
He appears on the muster roll for the quarter ending June 30, 1944 as a BM2c.
It would be an additional nine months before Roland was further advanced in rating to BM1c(T) on November 1, 1944. This was a temporary appointment as denoted by the (T), but only because the USN discontinued permanent appointments at this point in the war knowing the war would soon end.
His name appears on the final Indy muster roll for July 1, 1945 and on the final sailing list dated July 30, 1945 as BM1c(T).
A little over 3 months after his re-enlistment and now a proud sailor of the US Navy, Roland was lost at sea when Indianapolis was sunk on July 30, 1945, after being torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58.
Roland was gone but a part of him would continued to live. Seven months after his death his wife Mildred gave birth to a healthy baby girl on February 16, 1946.
A front page newspaper article in the Lindsay Gazette shows two photos side-by-side. The photo on the left is Roland J. Edwards and the one on the right is Bernard E. Tisthammer (1)
One month later a second news article informed the public that three men on board Indianapolis were from Lindsay, CA and all declared dead.(2) In addition to Roland J. Edwards and Bernard E. Tisthammer, Jean Obert Ragsdale was the third shipmate on board USS Indianapolis CA-35.
Yet another notice in the same paper stated Robert Herman Swanson was the fourth man from Lindsay killed on board Indianapolis.
Such a horrible tragedy for such a small town.
The news articles state Roland was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Edwards, formerly of Lindsay, Tulare County, California, but now living in Washington.
His oldest brother, Coxwain George Harvey Edwards, was lost in the Battle of the Solomons in 1942.
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ABBOTT, George Stanley 
FRONTINO, Vincent Fred 
AMICK, Homer Irwin