Captain Ewing was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Marine Fighter Squadron 323, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On 18 May 1951, while on a combat mission near the Choyang River, Korea, his aircraft's napalm tank was hit by ground fire and exploded.

Ewing was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.