When his career was interrupted by World War II, Edens enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served from 1943 to 1946, seeing action in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

[3] On his return to private life, Edens married Ferrell McCracken (1923–1982), a North Carolina native whom he had met while both were serving in the Marines.

Stimulated by his entry into the world of politics, Edens served as the campaign co-chair to elect Charles E. Boineau Jr., to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1961.

[4] In 1962, Edens enlarged his political universe, working the entire state as chair of Republican W. D. Workman Jr.'s Senate campaign against the Democratic incumbent Olin D.

During an eventful 1965, Edens sold his interest in Edens-Turbeville to work for himself in a variety of enterprises involving real estate, farming, timber management, and investments.

Future governor Richard Riley, in a widely popular move, appointed Edens to the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Commission.