Filko, Joseph James (Interview outline), 2015

Notes:

Joseph Filko was born in 1921 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His military career would span 20 years and three separate wars. The financial climate of the Great Depression drove him to enlist in the Marines in 1939 at age 17. He wound up at Fort Mifflin, Philadelphia where the sight of the USS Washington inspired him to join on for sea duty. In 1942 his aircraft carrier was attacked by kamikaze at Guadalcanal. Initially Joseph left the military in 1945 after WWII ended, however working for the State Police offered little pay and so he re-enlisted in 1948. In Korea he was stationed at the 38th parallel and lasted for 14 months. As if that weren't enough he was also sent to Vietnam in 1961. After a period of some time he was sent with a special unit to Okinawa. Finally he was discharged for the last time in 1962. Joseph was decorated with a variety of 16 medals and ribbons for his career. Later in life he worked for the US Post Office for 20 years before retiring.

Date Created:

2015-03-19T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Grand Valley State University. University Libraries

Collection:

Veterans History Project (U.S.)

Subject Topic:

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American, Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American, Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American, United States. Marine CorpsOral history, Veterans History Project (U.S.), United States--History, Military, Veterans, and Video recordings

Rights:

<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>

URL:

https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/document/40713