This Memorial Day, May 28, would have been the 94th birthday
of Pierre ‘Pete’ Joseph. Pete led an astounding life, a portion of which was
portrayed in the 1951 Broadway play and subsequent film, “Stalag 17”. The film
is a comedy/thriller about American airmen in a German World War II prisoner of
war camp, based on an award-winning play written by two survivors, Donald Bevan
and Edmund Trzcinski who were imprisoned at Stalag 17 with Pete. The play and
film were the inspiration for the much-loved television series, “Hogan’s
Heroes”.
Pete was born to Susan and Ed Joseph at their home near
Antoine Creek. He attended Pateros High School with his cousins Mary Marchand
Miller and Lewis Miller. Pete lettered in every sport and was known as the
fastest runner in Okanogan County. He could be seen running home after sports
practices.
In December 1941 the US entered World War II. The experience
of a country at war was unlike what it is today. For the entirety of my own
life, the US has been actively involved in some conflict around the world…but I
wouldn’t know it if I didn’t read the news. I pay low prices for gasoline, and
there is no limit to the number of computers, bicycles, shoes, silks, and nylons
that I can purchase. When I walk into Hank’s, there is always a wide selection
of meat, cheese, butter, milk, jams, and jellies. This was not the case during
WWII. Every person in the country was affected by food and fuel rations and
nightly blackout efforts.
It was during this time of uncertainty that Pete graduated
in 1942 and joined the US Army Air Corps. He completed flight training and
aerial gunnery practice before deploying to England as part of the massive
buildup of troops for D-Day.
But before D-Day arrived, Pete’s B-17 bomber was fatally hit
on March 8, 1944 over Berlin. From his gunner position in the ball turret, Pete
bailed and hurtled through the air with a force so great that his boots were
ripped from his feet. After free falling three miles, Pete’s chute deployed. As
he drifted in the dark closer to ground, his chute tangled in a tree, and Pete
hung thirty feet above ground where he was spotted by German civilians who cut
him down and handed him over to the Gestapo.
Pete was held in solitary confinement for days while the
Gestapo tried to guess his ancestry: Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, or Mexican?
The Native American refused to speak, giving only name, rank, and serial
number. He was transported to Luft Stalag 17B, near Krems, Austria. Food was
scarce, guards were sadistic, and the overcrowded conditions forced the 30,000
prisoners to sleep three to a bunk.
Over a year after his capture, on April 8, 1945, Pete was
gathered up with 4000 other American soldiers in Stalag 17 and forced to march
281 miles to a prison camp near Bernau, Austria. It took them three weeks
of marching to reach the camp site. Just days later, on May 3, 1945, Patton’s
13th Armored Division arrived and captured the guards. Pete and his fellow
prisoners were evacuated to France. Many years later as Pete shared a
conversation with his friend and fellow Paterosian, Ed Holbrook, he discovered
that Ed was one of the troops that liberated the Stalag 17 marchers that day.
Pete was discharged with honors in October 1945. His
outfit, the 379th Bombardment Group, took some of the heaviest losses in the
war. Pete was one of the lucky ones who was able to return home. Pete married
Lillian Dick, had six children, and worked as a supervisor on the Grand Coulee,
Chief Joseph, and Wells Dams. Pete passed away in 1991 and buried with full
military honors at St. Mary’s Mission on the Colville Reservation.
This article originally appeared in the Methow Valley News,
23 May 2018, and has been updated to show Ed Holbrook's role in the liberation
of Pete Joseph and his fellow Americans from Stalag 17
