GI's remains return to Ada decades after battle
SHEILA STOGSDILL
Published: Sat, June 8, 2002 12:00 AM
ADA - In the early 1940s, Ewing Fidler, who was the first-chair trumpet player in the Ada High School Band, would play "Taps" at funeral services for soldiers killed during World War II.
Today, Ewing's younger brother Charles will make sure the hallowed trumpet melody echoes throughout the southern Oklahoma community in honor of his older sibling, whose remains were finally returned to Oklahoma after being missing in Europe for 59 years.
On a bitter, snowy Dec. 16, 1944, morning, Charles' 19-year-old brother, Pfc. Ewing E. Fidler was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.
The Ada native was one of 16,000 Americans killed that first day of battle; another 60,000 soldiers were wounded or captured.
U.S. War Department officials told parents Ewing F. and Arta Fidler that their oldest son was reported missing in action and his remains would probably never be found.
Today, the soldier will be laid to rest at Rosedale Cemetery, next to his parents, with full military honors provided by an eight-man team from Fort Sill.
"I'm still stunned," said Charles Fidler, 72, of Garland, Texas.
Fidler, who was 14 when his brother was killed, refers to his brother as "Sonny."
In 1951, the U.S. State Department told the Fidlers it was impossible to find their son's remains.
"Dad had so much faith Sonny's remains would be found, he bought a headstone," Charles Fidler said.
Last fall, Charles was able to tell his sister, Thelma Ganc, their brother's remains were identified and he would soon be home.
"She was in a nursing home and couldn't speak, but she understood everything I was saying," Fidler said. "When I told her, she cried for two hours. She and Mom both suffered from broken hearts after Sonny was killed."
(Story continued below...)
Thelma Ganc died in April. His mother died in 1958 and his father died in 1971.
"Mom just withered away. She never got over his death," Charles Fidler said. "We're going to be burying Sonny next to Mom. I think Mom will feel better."
Ewing Fidler graduated second in his class from Ada High School in 1943. He was active in the Boy Scouts and won the Eagle Scout Award.
Before he was drafted into the Army, Ewing Fidler worked as a stock boy at Woolworth and had a paper route. He completed his military training at Fort Benning, Ga., and Camp Maxey, Texas, before shipping out in 1944.
He was a rifleman with Company E of the 394 Regiment/99th Infantry Division and a special duty runner for the third platoon, Charles Fidler said.
He said his older brother was a fast runner and would sprint between the foxholes and front lines with military orders and instructions.
In 1988, four Belgians, looking for World War II artifacts, uncovered skeletal remains in a foxhole.
After the discovery, 99th Infantry veterans organized and financed recovery teams to locate missing comrades.
Piece by piece, the mystery unraveled when Charles Fidler contacted a veteran living in Pennsylvania who saw Ewing die near an aid station.
With the latest technology, aerial photographs and maps, the remains of Ewing and two soldiers were found in a Belgian foxhole on June 1, 2001, less than 20 feet from the aid station. That day would have been Ewing's 76th birthday.
Last month, Charles Fidler visited the wooded area where his brother's remains were found.
After an 11-month identification and interment process, Fidler's remains were flown from Hawaii to Oklahoma.
SHEILA STOGSDILL
Published: Sat, June 8, 2002 12:00 AM
ADA - In the early 1940s, Ewing Fidler, who was the first-chair trumpet player in the Ada High School Band, would play "Taps" at funeral services for soldiers killed during World War II.
Today, Ewing's younger brother Charles will make sure the hallowed trumpet melody echoes throughout the southern Oklahoma community in honor of his older sibling, whose remains were finally returned to Oklahoma after being missing in Europe for 59 years.
On a bitter, snowy Dec. 16, 1944, morning, Charles' 19-year-old brother, Pfc. Ewing E. Fidler was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.
The Ada native was one of 16,000 Americans killed that first day of battle; another 60,000 soldiers were wounded or captured.
U.S. War Department officials told parents Ewing F. and Arta Fidler that their oldest son was reported missing in action and his remains would probably never be found.
Today, the soldier will be laid to rest at Rosedale Cemetery, next to his parents, with full military honors provided by an eight-man team from Fort Sill.
"I'm still stunned," said Charles Fidler, 72, of Garland, Texas.
Fidler, who was 14 when his brother was killed, refers to his brother as "Sonny."
In 1951, the U.S. State Department told the Fidlers it was impossible to find their son's remains.
"Dad had so much faith Sonny's remains would be found, he bought a headstone," Charles Fidler said.
Last fall, Charles was able to tell his sister, Thelma Ganc, their brother's remains were identified and he would soon be home.
"She was in a nursing home and couldn't speak, but she understood everything I was saying," Fidler said. "When I told her, she cried for two hours. She and Mom both suffered from broken hearts after Sonny was killed."
(Story continued below...)
Thelma Ganc died in April. His mother died in 1958 and his father died in 1971.
"Mom just withered away. She never got over his death," Charles Fidler said. "We're going to be burying Sonny next to Mom. I think Mom will feel better."
Ewing Fidler graduated second in his class from Ada High School in 1943. He was active in the Boy Scouts and won the Eagle Scout Award.
Before he was drafted into the Army, Ewing Fidler worked as a stock boy at Woolworth and had a paper route. He completed his military training at Fort Benning, Ga., and Camp Maxey, Texas, before shipping out in 1944.
He was a rifleman with Company E of the 394 Regiment/99th Infantry Division and a special duty runner for the third platoon, Charles Fidler said.
He said his older brother was a fast runner and would sprint between the foxholes and front lines with military orders and instructions.
In 1988, four Belgians, looking for World War II artifacts, uncovered skeletal remains in a foxhole.
After the discovery, 99th Infantry veterans organized and financed recovery teams to locate missing comrades.
Piece by piece, the mystery unraveled when Charles Fidler contacted a veteran living in Pennsylvania who saw Ewing die near an aid station.
With the latest technology, aerial photographs and maps, the remains of Ewing and two soldiers were found in a Belgian foxhole on June 1, 2001, less than 20 feet from the aid station. That day would have been Ewing's 76th birthday.
Last month, Charles Fidler visited the wooded area where his brother's remains were found.
After an 11-month identification and interment process, Fidler's remains were flown from Hawaii to Oklahoma.
GI's remains return to Ada decades after battle
SHEILA STOGSDILL
Published: Sat, June 8, 2002 12:00 AM
ADA - In the early 1940s, Ewing Fidler, who was the first-chair trumpet player in the Ada High School Band, would play "Taps" at funeral services for soldiers killed during World War II.
Today, Ewing's younger brother Charles will make sure the hallowed trumpet melody echoes throughout the southern Oklahoma community in honor of his older sibling, whose remains were finally returned to Oklahoma after being missing in Europe for 59 years.
On a bitter, snowy Dec. 16, 1944, morning, Charles' 19-year-old brother, Pfc. Ewing E. Fidler was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.
The Ada native was one of 16,000 Americans killed that first day of battle; another 60,000 soldiers were wounded or captured.
U.S. War Department officials told parents Ewing F. and Arta Fidler that their oldest son was reported missing in action and his remains would probably never be found.
Today, the soldier will be laid to rest at Rosedale Cemetery, next to his parents, with full military honors provided by an eight-man team from Fort Sill.
"I'm still stunned," said Charles Fidler, 72, of Garland, Texas.
Fidler, who was 14 when his brother was killed, refers to his brother as "Sonny."
In 1951, the U.S. State Department told the Fidlers it was impossible to find their son's remains.
"Dad had so much faith Sonny's remains would be found, he bought a headstone," Charles Fidler said.
Last fall, Charles was able to tell his sister, Thelma Ganc, their brother's remains were identified and he would soon be home.
"She was in a nursing home and couldn't speak, but she understood everything I was saying," Fidler said. "When I told her, she cried for two hours. She and Mom both suffered from broken hearts after Sonny was killed."
(Story continued below...)
Thelma Ganc died in April. His mother died in 1958 and his father died in 1971.
"Mom just withered away. She never got over his death," Charles Fidler said. "We're going to be burying Sonny next to Mom. I think Mom will feel better."
Ewing Fidler graduated second in his class from Ada High School in 1943. He was active in the Boy Scouts and won the Eagle Scout Award.
Before he was drafted into the Army, Ewing Fidler worked as a stock boy at Woolworth and had a paper route. He completed his military training at Fort Benning, Ga., and Camp Maxey, Texas, before shipping out in 1944.
He was a rifleman with Company E of the 394 Regiment/99th Infantry Division and a special duty runner for the third platoon, Charles Fidler said.
He said his older brother was a fast runner and would sprint between the foxholes and front lines with military orders and instructions.
In 1988, four Belgians, looking for World War II artifacts, uncovered skeletal remains in a foxhole.
After the discovery, 99th Infantry veterans organized and financed recovery teams to locate missing comrades.
Piece by piece, the mystery unraveled when Charles Fidler contacted a veteran living in Pennsylvania who saw Ewing die near an aid station.
With the latest technology, aerial photographs and maps, the remains of Ewing and two soldiers were found in a Belgian foxhole on June 1, 2001, less than 20 feet from the aid station. That day would have been Ewing's 76th birthday.
Last month, Charles Fidler visited the wooded area where his brother's remains were found.
After an 11-month identification and interment process, Fidler's remains were flown from Hawaii to Oklahoma.
SHEILA STOGSDILL
Published: Sat, June 8, 2002 12:00 AM
ADA - In the early 1940s, Ewing Fidler, who was the first-chair trumpet player in the Ada High School Band, would play "Taps" at funeral services for soldiers killed during World War II.
Today, Ewing's younger brother Charles will make sure the hallowed trumpet melody echoes throughout the southern Oklahoma community in honor of his older sibling, whose remains were finally returned to Oklahoma after being missing in Europe for 59 years.
On a bitter, snowy Dec. 16, 1944, morning, Charles' 19-year-old brother, Pfc. Ewing E. Fidler was killed in the Battle of the Bulge.
The Ada native was one of 16,000 Americans killed that first day of battle; another 60,000 soldiers were wounded or captured.
U.S. War Department officials told parents Ewing F. and Arta Fidler that their oldest son was reported missing in action and his remains would probably never be found.
Today, the soldier will be laid to rest at Rosedale Cemetery, next to his parents, with full military honors provided by an eight-man team from Fort Sill.
"I'm still stunned," said Charles Fidler, 72, of Garland, Texas.
Fidler, who was 14 when his brother was killed, refers to his brother as "Sonny."
In 1951, the U.S. State Department told the Fidlers it was impossible to find their son's remains.
"Dad had so much faith Sonny's remains would be found, he bought a headstone," Charles Fidler said.
Last fall, Charles was able to tell his sister, Thelma Ganc, their brother's remains were identified and he would soon be home.
"She was in a nursing home and couldn't speak, but she understood everything I was saying," Fidler said. "When I told her, she cried for two hours. She and Mom both suffered from broken hearts after Sonny was killed."
(Story continued below...)
Thelma Ganc died in April. His mother died in 1958 and his father died in 1971.
"Mom just withered away. She never got over his death," Charles Fidler said. "We're going to be burying Sonny next to Mom. I think Mom will feel better."
Ewing Fidler graduated second in his class from Ada High School in 1943. He was active in the Boy Scouts and won the Eagle Scout Award.
Before he was drafted into the Army, Ewing Fidler worked as a stock boy at Woolworth and had a paper route. He completed his military training at Fort Benning, Ga., and Camp Maxey, Texas, before shipping out in 1944.
He was a rifleman with Company E of the 394 Regiment/99th Infantry Division and a special duty runner for the third platoon, Charles Fidler said.
He said his older brother was a fast runner and would sprint between the foxholes and front lines with military orders and instructions.
In 1988, four Belgians, looking for World War II artifacts, uncovered skeletal remains in a foxhole.
After the discovery, 99th Infantry veterans organized and financed recovery teams to locate missing comrades.
Piece by piece, the mystery unraveled when Charles Fidler contacted a veteran living in Pennsylvania who saw Ewing die near an aid station.
With the latest technology, aerial photographs and maps, the remains of Ewing and two soldiers were found in a Belgian foxhole on June 1, 2001, less than 20 feet from the aid station. That day would have been Ewing's 76th birthday.
Last month, Charles Fidler visited the wooded area where his brother's remains were found.
After an 11-month identification and interment process, Fidler's remains were flown from Hawaii to Oklahoma.
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