A GI named Joe

by


Formats

Softcover
£10.95
Softcover
£10.95

Book Details

Language : English
Publication Date : 01/06/2000

Format : Softcover
Dimensions : 5x8
Page Count : 512
ISBN : 9781587210143

About the Book

A G.I. Named Joe is one man's story of his life during World War II. Joseph Dewhirst spent three plus years in the South Pacific as a U.S. Army infantryman in the 147th Army Infantry Regiment. This book makes his experiences during the war real for all of us. Mr. Dewhirst's descriptive style of writing gives us an insight into all aspects of war ... from the rigors of boot camp to the horrors of combat ... from the detailed description of a military breakfast to a meeting with a whale. Especially appealing are the human interest stories written about fellow soldiers and other people Mr. Dewhirst met during the war. A G.I. Named Joe will certainly appeal to those hoping to gain a greater understanding of World War II and the experiences of the men who served in the South Pacific Theatre.


About the Author

Joseph E. Dewhirst, youngest child of Joseph E. and Minnie Pearl Dewhirst, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 4, 1918. Joe's father died when Joe was 4, so from an early age, Joe held jobs to help support the family. He spent each summer working on relatives' farms in east central Illinois and there learned to love the land.

Joe graduated from Hughes High School in 1936, and in 1941 was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi he spent the next three plus years in combat as an infantryman in the South Pacific. Tours of duty on Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal supplied the information for many of the stories in A G.I. Named Joe.

Joe returned home to Cincinnati in 1945 and married Grace Jacobs in 1948. Their daughter, Merry Jo, was born in 1950 and a son, Scot, was born in 1952. Joe and his family moved to a farm near Morrow, Ohio in 1954. Joe worked at the Formica Corporation in Evendale, Ohio until his retirement in 1980. After Grace's death in 1982, Joe married Sybil Belle Fudge and gained an extended family of one step-daughter, five step-sons, and many step-grandchildren. Joe and Sybil still live on the farm near Morrow, Ohio. Joe enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and corresponding with World War II historians from all around the world.