Joe L. Sylvis

JOE L. SYLVIS

Serving in The
Armed Forces

Five area men have arrived in Alaska for the Army-Air Force arctic maneuver "Operation Warm Wind," scheduled for Nov 8-30.
   Members of the 503rd Airborne Regiment Combat Team of the 11th Airborne Division, they made the trip from Fort Campbell, Ky., by air.
   They are Sfc. Bernard L. Fenske, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Fenske, 762 E 2nd St., a member of Battery C, 475th Airborne Artillery Battalion;
   Cpl Joe L. Sylvis, Lake City, a squad leader;
   Cpl Robert L. Wall, Ettrick, a radio operator;
   Cpl Merlin A. Helstad, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Helstad, Ettrick, squad leader in Company G of the unit;
   Cpl Quinn A. Risberg, son of Mr. and Mrs. a. B. Risberg, Whitehall. Fenske entered the Army in 1947. The Wisconsin men entered the army in January 1951.

[Winona Daily News, Winona, MN, 11 November 1952, Page 2]

Lake City, Minn. ---Sfc. Joe L. Sylvis, son of Mr. and Mrs.. Ernest Sylvis, participated with the 8th Infantry Division in Exercise Heaven Sent, a field training exercise in Germany. Sgt. Sylvis, a member of Company B in the division's 505th Infantry in Mainz, arrived overseas last January..

[Winona Daily News, Winona, MN, 16 November 1959, Page 5]

Invasion Recalled

Retired Gen. Gavin Goes Back to Normandy on D-Day D-Day D-Day Anniversary

SAINTE - MERE - L'EGLISE, France, June 6 (UPI) A paratroop general who dropped behind enemy lines hours before the infantry hit the Normandy beaches set out on a pilgrimage into the past today to commemorate the 17th anniversary of D-day.
   Retired Gen. James R. Gavin, now U. S. ambassador to France headed for this windswept town to join in tribute to the thousands of men who died on the invasion beaches June 6, .1944. That was the day the forces of the United States, Britain, free France and other World War II allies invaded the European continent and launched the offensive that finally destroyed Nazi Germany.
STREETS DECKED
   The streets of this small farming community of 1,173 were decked with red, white and blue bunting.
   Five veterans of the 505th airborne airborne unit who made the D-Day drop on Normandy were invited by Mayor Mafellin to repeat their performance today. They are 1st Sgt. Francis Dosite of Boston, Mass.; M. Sgt. Willy Hall of Robinson Track Pulaski, Va.; Sgt. 1C John Ridselski of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Sgt. 1C Darrel W. Downs of Santa Anna, Tex., and Sgt. 1-c Joe Sylvis of Lake City, Minn.
   The 505th was attached to the 82nd airborne division that Gavin led to spearhead the Normandy attack
. All five have taken part in previous D-Day observances and this was their last ceremonial drop before retirement from the army.

[Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Michigan) · Tue, Jun 6, 1961 · Page 1]

FAYETTEVILLE - Retired U.S. Army Platoon Sergeant Joe Lee Sylvis, 90, of Fayetteville, died Sunday, May 1, 2016.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. in

Jernigan Warren Chapel with Rev. Larry Zaky presiding. The burial will follow at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake with military honors.

Joe was retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years of service which included parachuting into Normandy on D-Day. Following the military, he drove a truck for National Trailer Convoy for 31 years.

Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Lois; his parents, Ernest and Pansy; and a sister, Mary. He is survived by his son, Michael Sylvis and his wife, Anita, of Fayetteville; brothers, Curtiss, Ernest Jr., Robert and Vincent; sisters, Nina, Peggy and Amy; and a grandson, David Sylvis. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening, May 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Jernigan Warren Funeral Home.

The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the entire staff at Haymount Rehabilitation and Nursing for the care they provided to Dad.

Memorials may be made to 82nd Airborne Division Association, Inc. P.O. Box 87482, Fayetteville, NC 28304-7482.

[courtesy of B. Rogers]

Grave marker for Joe L. Sylvis in Section 3A, Grave 171, Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Spring Lake (Cumberland county), North Carolina.

Pfc Sylvis transferred from the 505th PIR to Company D, 508th PIR on 26 October 1945.

He received an Honorable Discharge from the Army to re-enlist in the Regular Army for a three (3) year period on 9 November 1945. The following day he was placed on TDY to the 6903 Reinforcement Battalion inn Le Havre, France for an extended furlough.

Slick Airways Flight 978, (aircraft 6813C) arrived in New York, NY on 23 March 1957. On board was Sfc Joe L. Sylvis (line 28)