JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - When Information Systems Technician 1st Class (IT1) Maria Edwards, 41, got a stage three breast cancer diagnosis in 2022, her life was upended. The process for medical retirement from the Navy began while she underwent chemotherapy. Then another complication came up: her mother who came to Hawaii to care for Edwards, soon got her own cancer diagnosis, which required Edward’s care.
But today, Edwards, who was stationed on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) from April 1, 2022 to May 31, 2024, can call herself a cancer survivor along with a few other impressive monikers: adaptive sports athlete, student, mother of two daughters, and most recently, the Navy Safe Harbor Foundation’s Wounded Warrior of the Year. Edwards was selected from a nationwide pool and received the award in Arlington, Virginia, at the Army Navy Country Club on Nov. 8, 2024. She has participated in the Navy Wounded Warrior program for about two years. Previously known as Safe Harbor, the program offers support for active-duty Sailors, Reservists serving on active duty, and Coast Guardsmen wounded, ill, or injured in the line of duty or off duty.
Edwards explained that the award has a big impact on her as someone who started out focused on her own painful recovery, but who then managed to develop as a mentor and role model; she also encouraged any wounded warrior to join the inspiring Navy Wounded Warrior community that will “support you 100%.”
“It really means a lot to me because I’ve been a part of this program for the last couple years and in those couple years it saw me change from somebody who is severely injured or sick from my diagnosis until where I am today,” said Edwards. She shared advice for wounded warriors and any Sailor going through a difficult time: “Never give up because there’s always someone or something that can help you out in the Navy Wounded Warrior program or even in adaptive sports.”
During her time in Hawaii, Edwards was responsible for staff communications for Commander Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific (CNSGMP).This meant ensuring that all ships on the JBPHH waterfront met cyber and communication requirements and helping troubleshoot cyber and communication problems as they developed.
On May 31, 2024, Edwards was medically retired on a temporary basis pending final review from the Navy after 23 years of service. She currently volunteers her time at the Operation Red Wings Foundation in Huntsville, Texas where she leads retreats for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.
Despite the cancer diagnosis and difficult treatments including chemotherapy, surgery, reconstructive surgery, immunotherapy, radiation treatment, and hospitalizations from complications that developed, Edwards still mentored and supported Sailors while stationed on JBPHH. Edwards trained Sailors aboard the USS Michael Murphy (BDG-112) and mentored five junior Sailors including one who was nominated for Junior Sailor of the Year. She also was a member of the command diversity committee where she led events for Asian/Pacific Islander Month, Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and volunteered for the Hawaii Food Bank, a Veterans Community Day restoration, and for U.S. Vets at Barber’s Point at Kalaeloa, which serves nearly 1,000 homeless and at-risk veterans throughout the state of Hawaii and provides, long-term, supportive, housing along with its well-known work re-entry program, Veterans in Progress.
Upon joining Navy Wounded Warrior, Edwards was pleasantly surprised by the social support network it offered.
“When I first joined the program, I didn’t have any idea about what it was or what it was about, Edwards explained. “But then I started to take part in the events. It was helpful in my treatment because I was being social with other people and wasn’t at home depressed about my condition.”
Edwards attended a luau, went canoeing, and painted sculptures through the Wounded Warrior Project and the Wounded Warrior Ohana, non-profits organizations with strong ties to Navy Wounded Warrior that offer additional programs to support wounded warriors and their families.
Navy Wounded Warrior stands out from other programs as the Navy’s only organization for coordinating nonmedical care of seriously wounded, ill and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen, and providing resources and support to their families. The program’s motto is Numquam Navigare Solus, Never to Sail Alone.
Marc Puco, region program director for Navy Wounded Warrior, explained how the program helps service members navigate the medical board process, which might lead to a permanent transition out of military service and require them to find a job. The process can be overwhelming, especially in the midst of ongoing medical treatment.
“We provide support to service members so they know that the Navy still cares about them,” Puco said. “We’re going to lower that anxiety about the process if they’re going through the medical board by answering their questions and making sure they understand the different between the Navy programs and VA [Veterans Affairs] programs.”
Puco also highlighted a unique feature of Navy Wounded Warrior: a personalized comprehensive recovery plan created for the service member in the program developed by an assigned recovery care coordinator, so enrollees benefit from individualized and ongoing care with the goal of retention and return to duty.
Puco praised Edwards for being proactive and making the most of all the opportunities Navy Wounded Warrior offers. To be successful in the program, he said, service members should follow her example.
“Our program provides resources and opportunities; however, our service members have to do the work,” Puco said. “She highlights a model of how a service member can be successful in our program.”
Edwards shared her gratitude for two people who provided resources and checked in with her regularly.
“Senior Chief Personnel Specialist Rovito Arciaga and Cielo Canlas both always stayed in contact with me and they were very good at giving me the resources I needed throughout the whole process,” Edwards explained. “Even today with me in a different region, I still can count on them to keep me in touch with what I need.”
During her two years with Navy Wounded Warrior, the team directed Edwards to the veterans readiness and employment program, also known as Chapter 31, through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which allowed her to attend school without using GI Bill funds that had been passed on to her daughter. She is currently working on a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University and plans to earn her degree in spring of 2026.
After Edwards was a year into recovery from her cancer treatments, she joined the adaptive sports team, which brought the comradery and competition that she always enjoyed from sports.
“Being a part of that adaptive sports program is amazing because we become a big team and even if I’m not the fastest runner and I’m not the best at what I’m doing, they still support me and they still have my back and it just makes me happy,” she said.
Despite being in recovery, Edwards won a bronze medal in the 200-meter run at the Department of Defense Warrior Games in Orlando, Florida in 2024. She also participated in the Marine Corps Marathon 10k in Washington, D.C. in October and several other sporting events.
Edwards is thankful for the Navy Wounded Warrior program. She likes to spread the word about the program and referred a fellow active-duty service member she met at the hospital while having chemotherapy treatment. The service member joined the program and has since processed his medical retirement with a 100% disability rating thanks to Edwards’ referral and support from the program.
November is Warrior Care Month, an annual observance established by then Secretary of Defense Robert F. Gates “aimed at increasing awareness of programs and resources available to wounded, ill, and injured service members, their families, and those that care about them.”
Puco emphasized how important Warrior Care Month is for all commands on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to help service members and for service members to seek out help themselves.
“Warrior Care Month is important for our leaders and our shipmates to know about the different programs and the support that is out there for our recovering service members, he said, highlighting how the program is customized to meet each service member’s needs no matter the type of qualifying injury or illness. “It’s good for them to know that the Navy has a program specifically for them,” he said.
Edwards said the Navy Wounded Warrior program has had a positive impact on her life and she wants to increase awareness beyond the observance month.
“As far as what it means to me, it’s really just being able to talk about the program with others,” explained Edwards. “Even though there’s a particular month for it, I feel like I was being helped year round.”
To date, Navy Wounded Warrior has helped over 7,600 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members throughout the country. An estimated 4,000 Sailors and Coast Guardsmen are currently enrolled in the program.