RESIDENCE (DURING WWII):
Parsons, Labette County, Kansas
FULL NAME:
Joseph E. Gahagan
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER (ASN):
37536576
- DATE OF BIRTH: May 29, 1925
- DATE OF DEATH: Jun 23, 1984
DATE / PLACE OF ENLISTMENT:
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DATE OF ENLISTMENT:Jul 28, 1943
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PLACE OF ENLISTMENT:Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
ORGANIZATION:
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MAIN UNIT:38th Infantry Regiment
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SUBUNIT:Company M, 3rd Battalion
RANK / POSITION IN UNIT (LAST KNOWN):
-
RANK:Corporal (Cpl.)
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POSITION IN UNIT:Rifleman
BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS:
✭ Normandy Campaign (6 June – 24 July 1944), ✭ Northern France Campaign (25 July – 14 September 1944), ✭ Ardennes-Alsace Campaign (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945), ✭ Rhineland Campaign (15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945), ✭ Central Europe Campaign (22 March – 11 May 1945)
SUMMARY OF HIS SERVICE:
Cpl. Joseph E. Gahagan joined the 2nd ID soon after D-Day and went through the five major campaigns that followed without fear and unwounded. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was found in a foxhole with three dead G.I.'s and one other still alive. They had been there 4 days and when discovered, he did not know his own name. He was hospitalized due to the combat fatigue. After extensive shock treatments at the VA, he worked as a baggage handler for TWA airlines. Never married.
