Photo courtesy of Barbara Hill
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SP4 - E4 - Army - Selective Service
22 year old Single, Caucasian, Male Born on May 26, 1947 From CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS Length of service 1 year. His tour of duty began on Feb 25, 1969 Casualty was on Dec 09, 1969 in BINH DUONG, SOUTH VIETNAM HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY OTHER EXPLOSIVE DEVICE Body was recovered Religion ROMAN CATHOLIC Panel 15W - - Line 43 More information on December 9, 1969 |
"Forever missed. Forever loved. Forever young." Barbara Hill
PHOTO FROM THE 1969 YEARBOOK
Joe and I met on a blind date in Hawaii when I was on vacation and he was on R&R. My roommate had met a young service man from Illinois and he asked her out that evening. She said she'd only go if he had a friend for her friend. When I first saw Joe I fell in love with him. Little did I know that it was love at first sight for him too. We spent the following day exploring Honolulu and eventually wound up at the Honolulu Zoo where he proposed at 2:10 in the afternoon (yes, I looked at my watch - I wanted to remember every detail). We spent the rest of his R&R together, falling deeper in love. We never talked about the war, just the future and our hopes and dreams. I have never regretted my decision. I knew he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Sometimes you just know when the right person comes into your life. Unfortunately, servicemen could not marry without permission due to the fact that so many met young women who wanted to get married to get into the States. I wasn't one of them. Joe was born in Matehuala, Mexico. (I think the spelling is wrong but it's phonetically correct). He was orphaned by the age of 4 and with a younger brother he was raised in a Catholic Church-run orphanage in Mexico. His older sister and brother had come to the US (each on their own) to Corpus Christi. They raised families and were eventually able to save enough money to bring the two younger brothers to the US. Joe graduated from WB Ray High School in Corpus Christi, then got drafted.
We wanted to settle in Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, when his tour was over and we could raise our family there.
When we were together he didn't talk about Viet Nam until the last evening. He did send me some pictures of him while on duty there. They are in a photo album with pictures from his childhood which is sister gave me. I know that he had a purple heart and bronze star when we met (found that out later after he died) and, of course, received a purple heart for his mortal injuries, plus a bronze star with oak leaf cluster.
The picture you have was taken just hours after he became an American citizen. He was so proud. I still have the American flag they gave all the new citizens and the yellow plastic lei which they received in honor of Aloha Week. They are with the letters which he wrote to me, including one he wrote just before his last mission.
Joe was buried on a warm, sunny December day with full military honors. He rests in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Corpus Christi.
Photo courtesy of his fiancé Barbara Hill
If you knew Joe, please contact her at BarbaraHill647@hotmail.com
We wanted to settle in Michigan, on the shores of Lake Michigan, when his tour was over and we could raise our family there.
When we were together he didn't talk about Viet Nam until the last evening. He did send me some pictures of him while on duty there. They are in a photo album with pictures from his childhood which is sister gave me. I know that he had a purple heart and bronze star when we met (found that out later after he died) and, of course, received a purple heart for his mortal injuries, plus a bronze star with oak leaf cluster.
The picture you have was taken just hours after he became an American citizen. He was so proud. I still have the American flag they gave all the new citizens and the yellow plastic lei which they received in honor of Aloha Week. They are with the letters which he wrote to me, including one he wrote just before his last mission.
Joe was buried on a warm, sunny December day with full military honors. He rests in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Corpus Christi.
Photo courtesy of his fiancé Barbara Hill
If you knew Joe, please contact her at BarbaraHill647@hotmail.com
