Joe was home at Avant, Oklahoma on the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
He joined the US Army and was inducted on July 27, 1943 at the age of 19.
Soon, he was shipped overseas to the European theater of operations. He was a squad leader with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He was assigned to the Third Division, 7th Infantry Battalion. He saw service in Italy and France.
The 3rd Infantry Division was known as the “Rock of the Marne” for its service at Chateau Thierry in July 1918 during WWI. During WWII the division saw 233 days of combat in such places as Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, and Rome-Arno in Italy. Later the division saw action in Southern France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe.
Joe saw a lot of action, and saw many men killed and wounded during combat. He was wounded on September 11, 1944 in France. He was sent to a hospital in the rear. He remained in the hospital until he was discharged in October 1945.
Joe used much of what he learned and experienced as far as maturity and reliability in his personal life. He joined Phillip’s Petroleum on January 8, 1946. This was the only job he ever had and retired on April 1, 1985.
For his wartime service, Joe earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Purple Heart. Others included the European Theater Medal with three bronze stars, and the French Legion of Honor medal.
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