During World War I, Ekwall served in the United States Army as a private in the Infantry, attending the Central Officers Training School in 1918. After his Army service, he worked in Portland as a municipal judge from 1922 through 1927, and as Judge of the circuit court for the fourth judicial district (Multnomah County), department 8 until 1935.
Ekwall's experience during World War I led him to serve in the U.S. Army's Infantry branch, where he attended an officers' training program in 1918. Following his military service, he pursued various careers in Portland, including stints as a municipal judge and circuit court judge.