COLONEL SETH WIARD JR.; U.S. ARMY

August 23, 1929 (Meriden, CT) – November 17, 1983 (San Antonio, TX); 54 years old
Married to Audie Mae Minshew Wiard (1930-2011) of Dothan, Alabama, on January 30, 1954. Divorced August 2, 1983, in Bexar, Texas.
No children.
Local address: 30 Woodbury Avenue, Norwalk
Enlisted on June 15, 1951. Discharged on August 31, 1977.
Serial number O-0064755

Born to Seth Sr. (1894-1970) and Evelyn Young Wiard (1896-1980). One sister, Cynthia Wiard Semmes (1923-2019).

Wounded by phosphorous burns from an exploding shell as a First Lieutenant and Tank Company Commander on November 15, 1952, on Triangle Hill in North Korea. Awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Also a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Provided by Gail Wiese, Archivist for Education and Access Services
Assistant Professor
Norwich University Archives and Special Collections, *Norwich University, via e-mail in, 2021.*

Colonel Wiard as head of the ROTC program at Jacksonville State University. Provided by Gail Wiese, Archivist for Education and Access Services
Assistant Professor
Norwich University Archives and Special Collections, *Norwich University, via e-mail in 2021.*

From the Norwalk Hour July 26, 1968

Lieutenant Colonel Seth Wiard Jr. has assumed command of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry of the 6th Infantry Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Colonel Wiard, a native of Norwalk, received an armor commission under the Reserve Officers Corps Program at Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont, Class of 1951. From May 1952 until April 953, Col Wiard served as platoon leader of a tank company in the 14th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army and was later appointed Company Commander. He was subsequently assigned as Company Commander in the 136th Regimental Tank Company, a unit of the 47th Division, stationed at Camp Rucker, Alabama at the time. An assignment as Company Commander of Tank Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Europe followed. During his assignment, he also served as Battalion Operations Officer. He returned to the USA and attended the armor officers advanced course at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1957. In 1958 he became aide-de-camp to the commanding general of the Continental Army Command (CONARC), and when the general rotated to Europe to become Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, Europe (USAREUR), his aide-de-camp, Col Wiard, accompanied him. Then, in 1963, the Colonel was assigned to Operations Division, USAREUR. Later in the year, he returned to the states to attend Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon completion of the school, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 13th Armor at Fort Texas as executive officer. The Colonel was then assigned to Vietnam as Senior Advisor to the 5th Vietnamese Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1965. Colonel Wiard attended the University of Illinois and graduated with a master of science degree in Geography. After graduation, Col Wiard joined his present unit. Among the Colonel’s decorations is the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with a star, the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with a silver star.

Certificate and citation of the award of The Legion of Merit Medal. Contributed by his nephew, Spencer Semmes, in 2023.