Joseph was inducted into the Army on 8 September 1940 which was just eight days before September 16, 1940 when the Selective Training and Service Act was made law.

The fact of his entering service is attested to by three different official sources with the identical date of 8 September.  The typewritten date on his draft file in Masontown, PA is 3 July 1945, and the handwritten notation on the front stating he was discharged on 2 July 1945 based on points.  Apparently he was called to the office to sign the newly created record after he returned home.

Joseph filed this application for the Pennsylvania WWII Veterans Bonus on 18 January 1950. He was credited with 13 months of domestic duty and 30 months of foreign service which was more than sufficient to earn him the full $500 bonus.

Joseph died on 31 December 1983 in Ambridge, PA, his final resting place is not yet known.