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Taps, Present Arms
Master
Sergeant Joseph
M. Klues
Master Sergeant
Joseph M. "Joe" Klues, 80, died
January 21, 2001,
in Quincy, Illinois.
Joe Klues was
an combat Infantryman who saw action in World War II and the
Korean war. Joe, age 20, was assigned to the 27th Infantry
Regiment "Wolfhounds" at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, on
December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Joe
remained with the 25th Infantry Division during the Pacific
campaign. He was awarded the Combat
Infantryman Badge (CIB) and the Purple
Heart Medal as a result of being wounded during
the retaking of the Philippine Islands.
Joe earned the
first star (second award) on his Combat Infantryman Badge with the
45th Infantry Division in Korea while serving as a Platoon Sergeant,
Platoon Leader, First Sergeant, and acting Company Commander.
MSG Joe Klues
was an impressive man. He stood 6' 7" and weighed 280 pounds.
He was called "Big Joe" for his obvious physical
appearance but the term was reverently used to acknowledge his
unselfish help to others.
MSG Klues was
the driving force behind the marksmanship program at Fort Lewis,
Washington, in late fifties through the early sixties. For a number
of years in the mid-sixties he was the noncommissioned
Officer-in-Charge of the Sixth Army Army Marksmanship Training
Unit (MTU) Pistol Team that competed at the annual
All-Army Matches at Fort Benning, Georgia. Upon completion of
those matches, Joe was selected to coach Army Teams at the National
Matches, Camp Perry, Ohio.
Joe was
a "2600" pistol shooter and had earned the U.S.
Army Distinguished
Pistol Shot Badge and the U.S.
Army Distinguished Rifleman Badge.
MSG Klues
retired from the Army to Hannibal, Missouri in 1965. He worked as a
Certified Federal Officer in nearby Springfield, Missouri until 1982.
Those who
served with "Big Joe" will recall him as a "one of a
kind" soldier, noncommissioned officer, and great American.
Webmaster's
Note: The Association was fortunate to have published an article
about MSG Klues in the MMA Times Newsletter before he died. Please
click here to read this fine account written
by Service Rifle shooter Peter
Giuchici. |
