June 28, 2019 Issue, Page 6 of 20

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PG6 4TH OF JULY SPECTACULAR, Friday, June 28, 2019 Joseph served i World War II @ipangop ti rf David Joseph attended an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. Submitted photo. By Don Munsch Maxine said. Editor “Yeah, you know more about me than I do,” David said, draw- David Joseph served his ing laughs. country in the Coast Guard dur- The couple will celebrate 75 ing World War II. He had one years of marriage in April 2020. especially difficult job during After boot camp, he went to his time in the war, occurring in Ellis Island, New York, where astretch in the war that no one there was a reassignment center. forgets. He went aboard a ship until D- Joseph, 92, who lives in Sayre Day, June 6, 1944. On that day, with wife Maxine, 89, was as- he was an anti-aircraft gunner signed to help injured American onaship. combatants during the Nor- “Treceived a little air dam- mandy invasion. A Jasper, Ark., age,” he said. native, he joined the service Joseph got blown off of a gun when he was 16. His parents turret. He was in a flotilla in the had to sign off on his joining the sea and his was part of a unit military. who recovered the injured and “I went to boot camp in St. the dead. Augustine, Florida,” he said. “He doesn’t really to talk “T left St. Augustine, and I was about it,” Maxine said. going to flight school to be a pilot “We picked people up the and they found out I wasn’t old wounded on the beach and enough, so I didn’t go to flight hauled them back out to the school because I was just too hospital ship,” he said. The task young. But that’s when all of the lasted a couple of days. fireworks started.” He went to a hospital for his He joined in 1943 and was injuries and then after that, he discharged in March 29, 1946, wasn’t good for sea duty, so they