Ewell Bates Bennett was born on December 4, 1905, in Oldham County, Kentucky. He was the son of William Thomas Bennett and Sallie M. Bennett. He enlisted on 7 April 1942 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He had been living in Louisville and working as a concrete finisher.

Ewell served in the 15th Tank Battalion, 6th Armored Division, as a Private and tank driver during World War II. He came across on Utah Beach on 19 July 1944. He was fatally wounded by machine gun fire on August 5, 1944, during the liberation of Huelgoat, France. He is now buried in the Valley of Rest Cemetery, La Grange, Oldham County, Kentucky, USA.