Chess was originally commissioned an officer in the
United States Army Reserve in 1942. He would serve in
World War II with the
47th Bombardment Group, the
57th Bombardment Wing and the
Twelfth Air Force. In 1946, he was released from active duty. Edwin's brother Technical Sergeant Raymond Czeslawski was killed when the bomber in which he was a top turret gunner was downed by flak in Germany on May 8, 1944. In 1948, Chess was recalled to active duty as a member of the
United States Air Force. During the
Korean War, he served with the
67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and the
Fifth Air Force. Later in his career, Chess was named Command Chaplain of the
U.S. Air Force Security Service before becoming
Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force in 1962. He was promoted to Chief of Chaplains and achieved the rank of
major general in 1966. Chess remained Chief of Chaplains until his retirement in 1970. Awards he received include the
Bronze Star Medal, the
Air Medal and the
Air Force Commendation Medal with two
oak leaf clusters. Chess died in 2000 at the
Brooke Army Medical Center in
San Antonio, Texas. He had
Parkinson's disease. ==References==