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November 17, 2020
Blair Edwards didn’t come from a military family, but he and his wife, who also served, have started a military dynasty. He entered the U.S. Army from high school after he took the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery test (ASVAB) as part of his high school graduation requirements. The results showed him new options which included travel and five years in Hawaii.
It must have been exciting to be 19 and starting on a new adventure. Where were you stationed and what did you do?
I was a signal intelligence morse interceptor which was exciting work for a 19-year-old. Since I was often working with highly classified information, I learned things that most teens don’t get to learn about the world around them. I was stationed in Hawaii for five years, which was also a plus, but the schedule was six days on two days off, with a rotating schedule between days, swing, and graveyard shifts. It was hard but incredible.
How did the U.S. Army change your life?
I was attracted to both the college fund and the opportunity to experience more than Northern California. It brought me my wife, who served in the U.S. Navy. Her family has four generations of military service, and now our son, who is serving in the U.S. Navy, has made it five. When it is time for the annual Army-Navy football match-up we have divided loyalties in our living room.
How do you support science at the Lab?
I work in the Security and Emergency Services Division overseeing the physical security department and Protective Force team. Our job is to create a safe and secure environment. The military taught me leadership and commitment to the mission, and this commitment to world-class work is what drew me to the Lab. It is an atmosphere I became familiar with in the Army and I’m happy to be part of it at the Lab.
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