Colonel William Ewald Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Colonel (Retired) William Ewald of Cadillac died Sunday, Christmas morning, December 25th 2011 at his home. He was 91 and had been a heart patient for several years. He was known throughout the area for his many years as a trapper following his retirement from the Army. He was born in Kassel, Germany on November 28, 1920 to Frieda (Schaberick) Ewald and Fritz Ewald. He immigrated to the USA (New Jersey) with his parents and older brother in 1928. He enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard (112th Field Artillery-horse drawn) in 1938. He quickly advanced to the rank of First Sergeant. He became a naturalized citizen in 1942 just before his commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry. His service during World War II was in the European Theater where he was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, 39th Regiment as the S-2 Intelligence Officer (Interrogation). During this period, he distinguished himself in hostile action and was awarded two Silver Stars. He met his wife, First Lieutenant Regina Bourget (a Cadillac native) during a hospital stay in the 98th Army General Hospital where she was assigned and was his nurse. They were married in September 1946 in Germany. Following WWII, Major Ewald attended the Army Airborne School. During 1952 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given the command of the 3rd Battalion 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Thereafter, he volunteered for the newly formed 10th Special Forces Group (Green Berets) and was assigned as the first director of Field Exercises for the 10th SFG (Abn) in Bad Tolz, Germany. Upon his return from Germany, he attended the Army Command and General Staff College before being assigned as the US Advisor to the Royal Thai Infantry School, Lopburi, Thailand. In 1960 he was assigned as the first commander of the Mobile Training Team (MTT) to train South Vietnamese officers and noncommissioned officers as cadre for the Vietnamese Ranger companies. Following his MTT tour of duty in Vietnam and other assignments with various Army Headquarters including the Director of the Special Forces Unconventional Warfare Department, he was assigned to CINCPAC Hqs, Hawaii. In 1968, he volunteered for duty in Vietnam and was assigned as the senior advisor to the 21st Vietnamese Division in Ca Mau. During this period he again distinguished himself in hostile actions and was awarded a third Silver Star for gallantry and promoted to Colonel. His final duty assignment was as the advisor to the 300th Military Police Command in Livonia, Michigan. He retired from active duty with a total of over 30 years of service. Colonel Ewald spent his retirement years as a resident of Cadillac and enjoyed trapping beaver, muskrats, mink, raccoon and fox in Wexford, Osceola and Missaukee counties. He met many friends during this time and he and his late wife enjoyed their time together with them. They especially enjoyed dining at Hermann\'s European CafÃ© and were one the first customers. He was a member of the Special Forces Association (Chapter 55), the National Trappers Association, the National Infantry Association, the VFW, Manton Post 7806, the American Legion, Post 69 and Saint Ann Catholic Church. He was a staunch political conservative and supported many conservative politicians. He enjoyed his family and relished big family Thanksgiving reunions and his birthday celebrations. Survivors include sons: William (Dawn) of Cadillac, Thomas (Leslie) of San Antonio, Texas and Daniel of Cadillac; daughters: Katherine (Bill) Richardson of Dubuque, Iowa, Elizabeth (Paul) Filler of Lowell and Margaret â€œPegâ€ (Marc) Throop of Richland; niece, Nancy Ewald of Camden, SC; 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by Regina, his wife of fifty-four years. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11a.m., Friday, December 30, 2011 at Saint Ann Catholic Church in Cadillac with Rev Fr. Frank Murphy as celebrant. Burial with full Military rites will be at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Cadillac. Visitation is 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday at the Peterson Funeral Home in Cadillac. The rosary will be prayed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Special Forces Association Chapter 55, Michael May Scholarship Fund. An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.

Colonel William Ewald

November 28, 1920 - December 25, 2011