Joel served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pike County, Georgia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on July 13, 1942 at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a compositor and/or typesetter and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Joel was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14128920
Joel also has a "Cenotaph" in the Fincher Memorial Cemetery, Meansville, Georgia.
( see family links below )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Pike County, Georgia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on July 13, 1942 at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a compositor and/or typesetter and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Joel was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14128920
Joel also has a "Cenotaph" in the Fincher Memorial Cemetery, Meansville, Georgia.
( see family links below )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joel served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Pike County, Georgia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on July 13, 1942 at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a compositor and/or typesetter and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Joel was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14128920
Joel also has a "Cenotaph" in the Fincher Memorial Cemetery, Meansville, Georgia.
( see family links below )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Pike County, Georgia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on July 13, 1942 at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a compositor and/or typesetter and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Joel was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14128920
Joel also has a "Cenotaph" in the Fincher Memorial Cemetery, Meansville, Georgia.
( see family links below )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
