Joseph David Liebgott, Jnr.

Joe was born in 1915 in Lansing, Michigan, the oldest of six children. His parents, Joseph Sr. and Mary, were immigrants from Austria (Serbia). The family moved in the 1920s to Oakland, California. He finished 2 years of high school and worked a variety of jobs (including driving taxis), mostly helping his father in their barbershop.

He enlisted in the Army on September 9, 1942, in San Francisco, and subsequently volunteered for the Airborne, finding his way to Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.As they prepared to jump for the invasion of Normandy, Liebgott and Forrest Guth gave haircuts to the men of the 101st for 15 cents per head. Many of the men either had their heads shaved or got Mohawks.

After the war he went missing for three years, never even telling his parents where he went or that he had even come back. His family believes that he suffered, like many veterans, from post-traumatic stress, and decided to "bum it" for a while, dropping out of society.

He turned up in California's Great Valley, got married to a woman named Peggy, whom he later divorced, and had eight children. He worked as a barber until his death. He never told his children about being in the war. They only found out after the book and series made him known.

Liebgott died on 28 June 1992 in San Bernardino, California due to complications from a tumor in his neck.

Biography

Joseph Liebgott, Jnr. was born on May 17, 1915 in Lansing, Michigan. His parents were Joseph Liebgott and Mary Liebgott (Zimmermann). He was a paratrooper in the US Army, a taxi driver and a barber.

Joseph married Francis Small (Lomas). Together they had David Liebgott.

Joseph married Peggy Bentley and they divorced in April 1969 in Los Angeles. Together they had Ila Kuns (Bentley).

He died on June 28, 1992 in San Bernardino County, California from cancer and was cremated.

In the 1950 US census Joe seems to be listed as Single, certainly he is living alone so there is no hints or clues as to his family structure. It suggests that Ila Mae (born 1949) was not his, but could simply mean that Peggy and Ila were not living in the same house as Joe on census night certainly Joe and Peggy were not married as of Apr 1950. Joe is not listed as Ila Mae's father on her birth certificate in 1949, no father is named, but in Ila's SSN applications in 1966 and 1970 she listed Joe as her father and used the name Ila Mae Liebgott. It's possible Ila was Joe's, born before he married Peggy, but it seems very unlikely.