Joseph Hoch Ewing (1909-2006) was a decorated Lieutenant-Colonel in the U.S. Army during WWII, writer, and curator of the U.S. Army Museum System from 1965-1980.
He was born on July 2, 1909 in Ros...ver maisJoseph Hoch Ewing (1909-2006) was a decorated Lieutenant-Colonel in the U.S. Army during WWII, writer, and curator of the U.S. Army Museum System from 1965-1980.
He was born on July 2, 1909 in Roselle, N.J., where he resided for 45 years before moving to Silver Spring in Washington, D.C. in 1985. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 1932, Col. Ewing worked for several weekly newspapers and edited Town, a community magazine in Roselle. He entered the military in 1942 during WWII, graduating from Officer Candidate School and the Officers Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served as an infantry replacement training center instructor at Camp Robinson, Ark., and Camp Fannin, Texas, and also served as a weapons platoon leader with the 242nd Infantry of the 42nd (Rainbow) Division. He then joined the famed 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland-Virginia National Guard in September 1944, where he led his rifle platoon in Germany. During quiet periods, he typed and edited his own newspaper, Chin Strap. His account of the 29th Infantry Division’s experiences were published as a book in 1948.
From 1950-1953, Col. Ewing served on the historical staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s Far East Command Headquarters in Tokyo. He was assigned to public relations with the 1st U.S. Army Headquarters on Governors Island, N.Y., and later became the 1st Army historian and curator of its historical museum.
As a Department of the Army civilian, Col. Ewing served for 15 years as curator of the U.S. Army Museum System, beginning in 1965. He supervised 60 Army museums in the U.S. and overseas and also edited the Army Museum Newsletter.
Col. Ewing’s military awards included the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Department of Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service Award. He was a member of the Army Reserve, retiring in 1960.
He died in Fredericksburg, Virginia on August 18, 2006, aged 97.ver menos