[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN HONOR OF COLONEL NATHANIEL P. WARD, III

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JOHN H. CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a truly 
exceptional citizen whose entire life was spent in service to his 
country.
  Colonel Nathaniel P. Ward, III, a native of Durand, Wisconsin, was 
born February 29, 1912. He attended Stout Institute, in Menomonie, 
Wisconsin before entering U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY, from 
which he graduated in 1934. Upon graduation, he married Evelyn Gardner 
of Hampton, Virginia.
  Prior to the outbreak of World War II, he served in company 
assignments with the Second Infantry at Fort Brady, Michigan; the 14th 
infantry in the Panama Canal Zone; and the 66th Tanks at Fort Benning 
Georgia. He served in the European and Asian-Pacific Theaters of 
Operation.
  While serving in Europe he took part in 4 major campaigns, including 
those of Normandy, Northern France, the North Appennines, and Rome-
Arno. As Commander of the 637th Tank Destroyer Battalion in 1945 he 
participated in the Luzon Campaign which resulted in the liberation of 
the Philippine Islands. During the occupation of Japan, Colonel Ward 
was assigned to the staff of the 1st Cavalry Division and as a 
battalion commander.
  After tours in Canada and the Pentagon, Colonel Ward served in 
Vietnam as a senior advisor and Chief of Staff of the Military 
Assistance Advisory Group from 1958-60. Upon returning to the U.S., he 
assumed duties with the XXI U.S. Army Corps from which he retired in 
1964. After his retirement from the U.S. Army, Colonel Ward and his 
wife Evelyn lived in Hampton, VA, where he was active in the Hampton 
Historical Society and the Lions Club for over thirty years.
  Colonel Ward's passions were his family, the U.S. Army--especially 
West Point--and the cavalry. He was extremely proud of his service in 
Vietnam. Two of the soldiers under his command, killed in 1959, were 
originally left off the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC, 
considered to have died before the conflict began. Through Colonel 
Ward's efforts, their names are now the first ones inscribed on the 
Wall.
  Colonel Ward served our country well, and made us proud. He passed 
away on April 3, 1998, and was buried with full honors at Arlington 
National Cemetery. He is survived by his devoted wife, Evelyn, his 
daughter Chartley Rose Ward and son Nathaniel P. Ward, IV, also retired 
from service in the U.S. Army, three grand children and a great-
granddaughter.

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