Edward Beard was born on August 21, 1961, and grew up in Clinton, North Carolina. I graduated from Clinton High School in 1979 and joined the Army in 1980. 

His tours of duty include Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, Los Angeles Recruiting Battalion, Ft. Drum, New York, and Fort Stewart Georgia where he deployed with his unit to Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Germany twice, and Korea. After 23 years of service, he retired at Ft. Bragg now Fort Liberty, North Carolina in March 2003. 

He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2007 as a member of SSG James B. Dennis VFW Post 6018 in Fayetteville North Carolina. He has held several positions within the post and now entering his 8^th year as post commander. During his tours as commander the post have received numerous awards and citations including 6 All State and All-American Post. He has also served as the district 8 commander where he also received All State and All-American awards. 

He is also a member of the Military Order of the Cooties where he was selected as Cootie of the Year in 2010. He served as the Seam Squirrel (Commander) of the Cooties from 2011-2013 in which they also received numerous awards and citations. He is also a Gold Legacy Life member. 

He is currently serving as the Veterans and Military Support Chairman for the Department of North Carolina. He is a member of the American Legion, Retired Military Association (RMA), Disables American Veterans (DAV), and the National Association for Black Veterans (NABVETS). He attends Point Level Disciples of Christ Church in Clinton and is the drummer for the choirs. 

Edward is married to his lovely wife Barbara for 41 years. They have one son Rashad who is married to Shanita with two granddaughters Alyssa 13 and Alaina 11.