US AIRBORNE

Joseph C Haney was born September 2, 1912 in Dakota, Minnesota. He was raised in Madison, Wisconsin and Richard Center, Wisconsin by his maternal grand mother and his step-grand father, Ike and Lydia Sharp. Ike was a stone mason.

Joseph Haney was working and had a family when he was drafted. Joseph was in advertising and marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Studios in southeastern Wisconsin. Joseph married Vera Wolferman in early 1940. Vera was an accountant and concert violinist. The family was a boy, Richard.

Joseph avec son épouse Vera et son fils Richard.

Although he is already 31 years old and is father, Joseph was hired in February 1944. Before that, the men, father before Pearl Harbor was not drafted. Then, in October 1943, this classification was removed. He was sent to Fort Sheridan in Illinois near Chicago to be incorporated. Then he was sent to Camp Blanding in Florida.

He was incorporated in an advanced Intelligence Reconnaissance unit. So he followed 17 weeks of training harder, more rigorous than for conventional infantry.
In 6 weeks, he completed the equivalent of 17 weeks of conventional training. Then 9 weeks of advanced classroom work and finally two weeks of field maneuvers.
This training included training in the infiltration of enemy lines, gathering information and transmit and get the information back to HQ. It should also be placed telephone wires, reading and drawing terrain maps. After these 17 weeks of intensive training, Joseph was among 70% of men who remained in the unit the others were returned in a rifleman unit.

After this training, Joseph was hoping to stay in the United States and serve as an instructor. Unfortunately, after a leave when hecould go home and see his wife and son, Joseph was sent to Europe.

Arriving in England, Joseph was volunteered for the airborne troops. He joined the 17th Airborne Division, stationed at Camp Chiseldon, near Swindon and Marlborough. He joined B Company, 193th GIR, he was Private First Class.
During December, while Joe’s Division was still stationed in England, the Germans launched their major offensive towards the port of Antwerp. The American troops stationed in the Ardennes were totally surrounded by surprise. Once General Eisenhower learned the news, it was the action-stations. The 17th Airborne, one of the few divisions still held in reserve was sent to the front. Joseph Haney will have its baptism of fire January 7, 1945 when the 193rd GIR was sent to the front in the vicinity of Mande St. Etienne. The objective is taking Flamisoul.
During his first days of fighting, Joseph must be removed from the front, he has cold feet. It will be sent to a field hospital located Mande St. Etienne from January 9 to January 15. Then he returned to his company by January 15 they were in Luxembourg, near the Our River.
Sometime the week later he was taken prisoner by the Germans but escaped after only a few hours.

At the end of the campaigns of the Ardennes and Rhineland that followed, the 193rd GIR 194th GIR and had lost many men. The two regiments were merged to form more than one, the 194th GIR. Pfc Joseph Haney joined Company K.
March 24, 1945, after intensive training, the 17th Airborne Division took part in the assault on the Rhine near Wesel.

The 194th GIR is the last unit to land that day. It is 10:30, the gliders are beginning to descend to their LZ. Unfortunately, some find themselves directly in the path of a German Flak. This is the case that carrying Pfc Joseph Haney who ended up crashing in a field.

The Private First Class Joseph Haney rests today American cemetery of Magraten, Holland, Plot D, Row 15, Grave 9.

His son will always be questions: “When Daddy coming home?”