Navigator
Born on September 9, 1916, and passing away on December 29, 2004, Lt. Joseph F. Callaghan's military journey began with his induction into the U.S. Army in November 1940. He completed extensive training, including radio operator and mechanic courses at Scott Field, IL; flight training in Stamford, TX; navigation school at Ellington Field, TX; and radar school in Boca Raton, FL. Despite the rigorous training, Callaghan wryly noted that his family expected more class pins than medals.
Assigned to Crew 10 of the 60th Squadron with the 39th Group at Smokey Hill Air Base in September 1944, Lt. Callaghan and his crew trained at Smokey Hill and Batista Field, Cuba, before deploying to Guam in March 1945. They undertook numerous combat missions and specialized reconnaissance flights, including a notable 23-hour mission to Hokkaido, Japan, where the crew survived on minimal rations of pineapple juice and sandwiches. The birth of his daughter, Jo Ann, on August 18, 1945, was a significant personal milestone amidst his demanding service.
Joseph F. Callaghan, 88, Venice and Cranston, R.I. died Dec. 29, 2004 at Bon Secours-Venice Hospital.He was born Sept 19, 1916 in Providence, R.I. and since 1989 was a winter resident of Venice and a summer resident of Cranston, R.I. and Martha's Vineyard, Mass. .He was a salesman for the Atlantic Richfield Company in Worcester and Revere, Mass. before retiring in 1973. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II in the Pacific Theater as a navigator of B-29 bombers and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal.Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Beulah (Tingley), a son Edward H. of Fairbanks, Alaska; daughters Jo A. of Narragansett, R.I.; Joyce C. Cooper of Pomfret, VT. and Janice L. of Lee, NH. and a sister Alice R. McGrath, of Cranston.
