For his heroism Edwards was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the French Légion d'honneur, and the British Distinguished Service Order.

After brief service escorting convoys along the east coast and in the Caribbean, Edwards sailed from New York on 8 November 1942 to join the Pacific Fleet.

She joined Task Force 18 (TF 18) at Nouméa on 4 January 1943, to cover a large troop convoy bound for Guadalcanal.

She screened the support force at Tarawa from 19 November, then escorted transports to Pearl Harbor en route to the west coast for a brief overhaul.

On 3 March, she arrived at Majuro off which she patrolled as well as screening strikes on Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands and in the Palaus by aircraft carriers of the 5th Fleet.

A Navy PBY Catalina already had been shot down by Japanese fighter aircraft while attempting to rescue the Marines.

In the face of fierce shore fire, a launch boat of six men from Edwards (Lieutenant, junior garde Harold Mann, CPhM Emery Pensak, MoMM1c Andrew Stein Elliott, SM2c John Joseph Crane, Coxswn James Joseph Gonsalves & S1c Richard Stanley) rescued the Marine Corsair aviators without casualty.

After overhaul in Pearl Harbor in August 1944, Edwards reported arrival at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, 30 October for patrol.

On 7 December, near Ormoc Bay, Philippines, Edwards removed casualties from Liddle while being bombed by Japanese planes.

She made one voyage to Iwo Jima, another to Okinawa to escort convoys, then sailed on 16 September for the United States.