Born in Minnesota, Joseph Strukel moved with his family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was five. He attended Boys Technical High School in Milwaukee where he took Machine Shop as his technical choice. Before his enlistment in the Air Corps in June 1942, he was working at the International Harvester Co. plant in Milwaukee. He trained in aerial engineering and gunnery at various places, among which Moses Lake, Washington (598 Bomb Squadron) and the Flexible Gunnery School in Kingman, Arizona. Joe joined the William Quaintance crew at Geiger Field before they were sent overseas to England in October 1943. Assigned to the 306th Bomb Group / 369th Bomb Squadron, Joe flew on all of Lt Quaintance's missions, thus at least 13, one aborted and another probable but not verifiable on 20 February 1944. Joe was promoted to Technical Sergeant on 15 February 1944, a week before the 22 February mission to the JU88 plant at Bernburg, Germany, when he was Killed In Action in the loss of B-17# 42-31695, shot down by fighters on the return flight.