Military
Marksmanship
Association
Formerly
AMUA
- Army
Marksmanship Unit Association
|
Taps, Present Arms
Joseph J. Peot Colonel Joseph J. Peot was born March 10, 1912 in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. He was valedictorian of the 1930 Sturgeon Bay High School graduating class. Colonel Peot earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin in 1934, graduating cum laude. Following graduation, Colonel Peot was an instructor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin from 1934 to 1940. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps Reserve on June 12, 1934 and entered active military service as a First Lieutenant in 1940. Colonel Peot served a total of 33 years in military service, with more than 28 years of active duty. His duty stations included the China-Burma-India war theater from 1944-1947 where he served under the late General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell and General George C. Marshall. During his tenure in China, Colonel Peot was in charge of establishing a vast communications network essential to China's war effort. He was also Gen. Marshall's signal officer in 1945-46, while the general was a special envoy to China. During this time, Colonel Peot worked closely with Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Zhou Enlai. Following World War II, Colonel Peot spent the rest of his military career as a teacher. He taught in the training division of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and then at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Other positions included being the director of training at the Armed Forces Special Weapons Command at Sandia Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and finally at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He also made a trip back to the Far East to serve a tour of duty in Korea as the senior signal advisor. His final tour of duty was as commanding officer of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Training Unit at Fort Benning, Georgia from July 1963 to April 1967. He retired from the Army in 1967, as a full colonel, and was the recipient of many awards and decorations. He was particularly proud of the Legion of Merit, which is the highest non-combat medal the military can award. His other awards include the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Commendation Medal, and the Civilian Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge in 1971. During his college years, Joe Peot was the Big Ten rifle champion and was involved in shooting in athletic competition. He was New Mexico State small-bore rifle champion in 1957, and the Wisconsin State pistol champion in 1957, 67, 68, and 69. During Colonel Peot's last Army tour, he worked closely with America's International shooting program and the Olympics. Following his retirement, he worked for the National Rifle Association (NRA) as the Midwestern Field Representative. For six years he traveled the Midwest on behalf of the NRA and at his death was in his second term as a director. He was elected to the executive committee of the NRA shortly before his death. He was also president of Sturgeon Bay Rotary, president of Door County University of Wisconsin Alumni Association, president of Wisconsin Rifle and Pistol Association, president of Door County Duplicate Bridge Association. He was an enthusiastic golfer, gardener, and woodworking craftsman. His many friends described him as a dependable citizen, able competitor, extremely patriotic, and grateful to his country. "For all he loved the military and was grateful to it for the opportunities it had given him, he didn't completely fit into the military mold," said a relative. "He was a teacher, not a warrior". Colonel Peot died in September 1981 was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. |
