Joseph Hanabal Pait was born on May 3, 1920, in Bladenboro Township, North Carolina. He was the son of Joseph Hanabal Pait and Fannie B. Ward Pait.

Pvt Pait was assigned as Tank Gunner (Military Occupation Specialty 616) in Company F, 87th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized), 7th Armored Division during World War II. His last duty location, where he died from wounds, was probably attached to A/87, along Canal du Nord, 2 miles south of Horik, Netherlands, on October 23, 1944. He died that day at an aid station near Horik. He is now buried in the Singletary Family Cemetery, Bladenboro, Bladen County, North Carolina, USA.