Joseph J. Beal entered military service in Indiana. He served in the 510th Bomber Squadron, 351st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Technical Sergeant and Mechanic/Gunner on the B-17F #42-29843 "The Screwball" during World War II.
On June 28, 1943, his crew took off from Station 110 in Polebrook, England, for a bombing in St-Nazaire, France. Shot down by flak during/after their mission, their plane crashed at the beach of Samzun in Locmaria, France. Five of the crew members were able to bail out, but the remaining members were declared dead and Missing in Action. Their bodies were never recovered. TSgt Beal was one of those who were missing. His name is honored on the Tablets of the Missing in the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net, www.abmc.gov