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I am an American Soldier
I am a Warrior and a Member of a team
I serve the people of the United States and live the military values
I will always place the mission first
I will never accept defeat
I will never quit
I will never leave a fallen comrade
I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my
Warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and
myself
I am an expert and I am a professional
I stand ready to deploy, engage & destroy the enemies of the United States of
America in close combat
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life
I am an American Soldier
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Master Sergeant (MSG) Gordon
L. Ewell, was born on June 8th, 1967 and graduated from Emery County
High School in May 1985. He joined the Utah Army National Guard on
August 28, 1985 with initial assignment to the 1457th Engineer Battalion
as a Combat Engineer. In August 1991, he transitioned to the Active
Guard Reserve program, with Delta Company, of the 1457th Engineer
Battalion.
His 24 year career has been marked with distinction through notable
accomplishments that render him an excellent example for other Soldiers
to follow. MSG Ewell has served in several military occupational
specialties. These include a Communications Specialist, a Combat
Engineer, a Logistics Specialist, and a Personnel Administration Section
Sergeant. Throughout his outstanding military career he has served in
key positions as Training and Administration Specialist, Supply
Sergeant, Combat Engineer Squad Leader and Personnel Section Sergeant.
From MSG Ewell's initial entry into the Utah National Guard, his
superiors recognized his outstanding initiative and a deep care for his
fellow Soldiers. He has been recognized as one who would do whatever it
takes to accomplish the mission, or help a fellow Soldier in need.
Furthermore, MSG Ewell has attended numerous courses to sustain his
military proficiency. He has graduated from over 30 Army Resident
Schools, graduating as the Honor Graduate, or in the top 10% of his
class, from nearly every one of them. He has completed, with a
“Superior” rating, over 1,000 hours of Army Correspondence Training.
Additionally, MSG Ewell went back to school, after work, to complete an
Associate of Science degree from Snow College in April of 1999.
MSG Ewell's most challenging assignments have been his recent two
overseas deployments; One in the Federal Republic of Germany from
February to May 2001, and the other in Iraq from December 2005 to
November 2006, during Operations Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi
Freedom. He took both of these mobilizations with great commitment as an
opportunity to serve his Country. During his service in Iraq, MSG Ewell
performed 59 challenging and dangerous missions, which involved both the
coordination of Convoy Route Clearance and Route Clearance Observation
missions, based upon his knowledge and expertise in these areas. MSG
Ewell was vital in the creation of the first Route Clearance Handbook,
and was further recognized by the Corps staff as the Multi-National
Corps “Subject Matter Expert,” in Route Clearance. His lessons learned
in Iraq have been published in many Army periodicals.
MSG Ewell led over 33% of the missions he was on in Iraq. He was
recognized by his superiors to be unparalleled in his physical stamina
and toughness complemented with superior technical and tactical
capabilities. This was clearly demonstrated on the battlefield when his
efforts under heavy enemy fire were unrivaled, which earned him the
Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge. During that time, his
vehicle was also hit by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) on 6
separate occasions.
One of the explosions that he endured was so powerful that it blew his
impacted wisdom teeth out the side of his jaw. In addition to the major
damage done to his jaw, he also suffers from broken vertebrae in his
neck, Damage to his lower spine, permanent loss of hearing (leaving him
legally deaf), anatomical loss of his right eye, and
peripheral/bi-lateral vision loss in his left eye (which has left him
legally blind). He also suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury,
Neurologic Bladder, loss of balance, abnormality of gait, loss of
working memory, and he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD).
MSG Ewell returned from his deployment in December 2006, to the 640th
Regiment (Regional Training Institute) as the Noncommissioned Officer in
Charge, for the Personnel & Administration Section. He was assigned
there, until being Medically Retired, from injuries sustained while at
war in Iraq, in February 2010.
Today, he continues to serve with distinction, as a Member of the Blue
Star Riders, as a Volunteer at the George E. Wahlen V.A. Hospital in
Salt Lake City, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American
Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, American Legion, and with
various other Military Related Service Organizations.
MSG(Ret) Ewell, currently resides in Eagle Mountain, Utah.
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Military Awards and Decorations
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Army Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf
Army Achievement Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal with 6 Bronze Knots
Army Reserve Components Achievement with 3 Bronze Oak Leafs
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Devise and Silver Hourglass
NCO Professional Development Ribbon, (3rd Award)
Army Service Ribbon
Overseas Service Ribbon
Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon (3rd Award)
Combat Action Badge
Diver and Mechanic Badge, with wheeled vehicles clasp
Utah Commendation Medal (3rd award)
Utah 2002 Olympic Winter Games Service Ribbon
Utah Emergency Service Ribbon
Utah Achievement Ribbon
Utah Recruiting Ribbon
Utah Service Ribbon
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Army Superior Unit Award |
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