Ulysses S. "Steve" Adolph, 59, of Hamburg, a decorated member of the Army Special Forces who served in the Vietnam war, died Jun 15, 2002, in Roswell Park Cancer Institute after a brief illness.
Born in Grayling, MI, Adolph graduated from the Command and General Staff College, the Army Airborne Course and the Special Warfare School.
He entered the Army as a second lieutenant, serving in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970. While there, he served as a staff and executive officer, commander and liaison officer with the 5th Special Forces Group.
During his tour of duty with the Green Berets, he earned a Silver Star, a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star for Service, an Air Medal and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
He continued to serve in the Army Reserve while working as a civilian and returned to active duty from February to September 1991, when he served as a colonel with the Joint Special Services Command.
Adolph worked for Ford Motor Co for 20 years and transferred to Hamburg in the mid-1990s. He retired from Ford and from the Army Reserve in 1999.
He also worked as a freelance writer for a number of publications and published an action-adventure novel in 1991. He was noted for his research on Special Forces personnel missing or killed in action in Southeast Asia. He was a founding member of Chapter LV of the Special Forces Association.
Surviving are his wife, Arlene Kennedy; two daughters, Michelle Kennedy and Nicole Scheetz, both of Hamburg; his mother, Leni Mae of Frankenmuth, MI; a sister, Mary Richter of Rocky Mount, NC; three brothers, Leonard, Roger, and Terry, all of Flint, MI; and two grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held at 11 am Jul 24 in Arlington National Cemetery.
