Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Cory Grogan | Maj. Gen. William J. Edwards poses with his family following his retirement ceremony...... read more read more
HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. - Maj. Gen. William J. Edwards, whose career spanned from engineering work in Corvallis to the senior ranks of the U.S. military, retired from the U.S. Army during a ceremony on September 13, 2026, at Camp Withycombe in Happy Valley, Oregon.
Edwards retired as a major general, a two-star general officer rank reached by relatively few military members. His career included combat deployments in Iraq, command of thousands of service members, and senior assignments influencing National Guard and U.S. military policy at the national and international levels.
It was a career that began far from the general officer ranks. Edwards first enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 1985 while still in high school. He subsequently became an infantry officer and served at nearly every level of leadership.
Edwards said he knew early that he wanted to combine military service with another calling. “I wanted to serve my country, maybe become an officer, while also having a civilian career as an engineer,” Edwards said during his retirement ceremony.
That combination eventually brought him to Oregon, where his civilian and military careers would develop alongside each other.
After completing his doctorate in materials science and engineering at Cornell University, Edwards moved to Oregon in 1996 and began working for Hewlett-Packard in Corvallis. He spent 25 years as a research and development engineer and project manager with the company, including work developing inkjet technology. Edwards said holding those two careers at the same time would not have been possible without the support of his civilian colleagues.
“Lots of other colleagues and friends from HP are here, and they made my dual career in the Guard possible,” Edwards said.
For Edwards, one example came in 2005, only months after returning from a deployment to Iraq. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, and Edwards was called on short notice to join the Oregon National Guard response.
He recalled sending an email to a colleague over Labor Day weekend explaining that he would not be coming to work as planned and asking her to help keep his civilian team moving while he left with hundreds of other Oregon Guard members for Louisiana.
“Through her, the Corvallis site at HP had a hand in that response,” Edwards said.
The experience illustrates the Citizen-Soldier role Edwards maintained for much of his career, working a civilian job most of the month while remaining ready to serve when called.
Brig. Gen. Alan R. Gronewold, The Adjutant General of Oregon, said that balance was central to Edwards’ career. “That is the Guard story in its truest form: a citizen and a soldier, carrying both callings at once,” Gronewold said.
Edwards’ military responsibilities expanded significantly over the years. He served as operations officer for the 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment and deployed to Baghdad in 2004 and 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He took command of the battalion in 2007 and later led it through another mobilization and deployment to Iraq. In 2011, Edwards assumed command of the Oregon Army National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Under his leadership, the brigade prepared, mobilized, and deployed more than 800 Soldiers to Afghanistan in 2014.
“That is not a small task,” Gronewold said. “That is preparing hundreds of soldiers and their families for a mission overseas, and seeing every one of them home safely.”
Edwards later became a brigadier general and served as Oregon's Land Component Commander while also serving as deputy commanding general for operations with First Army.
His career then took him to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and NATO Headquarters Sarajevo, where he commanded NATO forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and advised national leaders on security sector reform.
Edwards was promoted to major general in January 2021, joining a select group of the military's two-star general officers. This achievement represented significant progress for someone who began his military career as an enlisted Soldier more than 35 years earlier.
Most recently, Edwards served at the National Guard Bureau as director for strategy, policy, plans and international affairs, helping shape decisions affecting National Guard forces across the states and territories. Gronewold described Edwards’ career through three themes: connection, competence and commitment.
“He built competence the hard way, in combat, in command and in the classroom, and he never stopped adding to it,” Gronewold said.
Edwards holds a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and master's and doctoral degrees in the same field from Cornell University. He also earned a master's degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Edwards said he chose to hold his retirement ceremony in Oregon because of the role the state played in both sides of his professional life.
“I spent the majority of my military career and all my civilian career here,” Edwards said. “So closing it up here … just seemed right.”
He also wanted his final military event to reflect the traditional National Guard experience he had lived for decades.
“We know what it is to be in the Guard to do your day job most of the month, and then put the uniform on for the drill weekend and come serve our state and our nation,” Edwards said.
His military awards include two Bronze Star Medals, two Legion of Merit awards, two Defense Superior Service Medals and the Combat Infantryman Badge, among other decorations.
But Edwards used much of his retirement remarks not to focus on his rank or accomplishments, but to thank the family members, Soldiers, civilian colleagues, and friends who supported him along the way.
“No one does this alone,” Edwards said. “Most of the people that helped me get to this point … you honored me the past 40 years helping me get to this point, and you honor me today with your presence.”
Gronewold said Edwards leaves behind a standard for the Soldiers and leaders who follow him.
“To Bill: thank you for 38 years,” Gronewold said. “Thank you for the units you built, the soldiers you brought home, and the standard you leave behind for the rest of us to meet.”
Edwards’ retirement concludes two careers that frequently intersected, including 25 years developing technology at HP in Corvallis while advancing from an enlisted National Guard Soldier to a two-star general. Even after an initial injury at basic training resulted in his discharge, Edwards recalled that he chose to enlist again.
“I think I really wanted to do this,” Edwards said. “Even then, I already made being in the Guard part of who I am.”
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.14.2026 15:55 |
| Story ID: | 574649 |
| Location: | OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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