Colonel Joseph “Joe” Anthony Peterburs was born on November 25, 1924, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Joe enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 30, 1942, at the age of 18, and was selected for the Aviation Cadet program. His training began in earnest with the P-40 Warhawk, before moving to the more advanced P-51 Mustang. Joe was shipped to England in October 1944. He flew 49 combat missions, amassing 269 combat hours, primarily in his P-51 Mustang, affectionately named “Josephine” after Joe’s fiancée.

On April 10, 1945, during an escort mission over Germany, Joe engaged in a dogfight with an ME-262, the world’s first operational jet fighter. He managed to damage the ME-262, forcing the German pilot to bail out. Shortly thereafter, Joe’s P-51 was hit by ground fire as he strafed a German airfield, and Joe was forced to bail out near Burg, Germany.

After parachuting safely, Joe was captured by German forces and became a POW in Stalag XI-A, near Berlin. Near the wars’ end, Joe managed to escape, and he linked up with a Russian tank unit, which he was forced to fight with until he was repatriated by American forces near Wittenberg on the Elbe River.

After World War II, Joe continued his military career, serving with distinction in the Korean War, flying 76 combat missions in the P-51D Mustang over North Korea, during which he was wounded by small arms fire. Joe’s service extended into the Vietnam War, where he was assigned as a Staff Operations Officer in 1967. During the Tet Offensive, Joe narrowly escaped death when a Viet Cong rocket struck his barracks.

Joe retired as a Colonel in 1979 after 36 years and 5 months of dedicated service to his country. Throughout his military career, Joe was recognized for his valor and leadership, including being awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, POW Medal, and 32 other medals/decorations. His extraordinary courage and humanity define the greatest generation.