The Edson is named for a Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Major General Merritt Edson, then a Colonel, led perhaps the most important defense during the Battle for Guadalcanal. While greatly outnumbered by the Japanese attackers, Colonel Edson and his men won the battle for Edson's Ridge overlooking Henderson Field. Without the victory at Edson's Ridge, the Japanese would have been in position to take the highly strategic Henderson Field and the battle for Guadalcanal would have been much more costly.
In her career, the USS Edson served during the Cold War and helped defeat a powerful nuclear armed and powered Soviet Navy. Operationally, she deployed to Vietnam three times and in each tour she provided fire support to troops engaged on shore. In fact she earned three Meritorious Unit Citations for her outstanding support of the troops during her Vietnam deployments. She was named the Destroyer Top Gun by the troops she supported. Also nicknamed "The Destroyer," the USS Edson will be a wonderful Southeastern Wisconsin veteran's memorial, museum ship, young American training site and tourist attraction. We look forward to her arrival!