Joe Espinosa entered the Navy on August 27, 1943 and was assigned number 6298391. He was a seaman second class serving aboard the escort carrier USS Rudyard Bay. Called the "Rugged Rudy" by her crew, she served in the Pacific Theater. Her first mission in July and August of 1944 was to ferry planes to the New Hebrides and Marshall Islands. During the invasion of the Philippines, the "Rugged Rudy" protected fleet oil tankers from air and submarine attacks. She also survived Typhoon Cobra in December of 1944, which sank three destroyers and killed 790 sailors. In January 1945, she moved north to the South China Sea to support the carriers as they participated in the invasion of Lingayen Gulf and conducted strikes against Japanese shipping stretching from Indochina to Formosa. She provided support for the invasion of Iwo Jima and served in three major operations in the campaign at Okinawa. She targeted shore installations and her squadron pilots shot down six aircraft. Postwar, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from throughout the Pacific. USS Rudyard Bay received five battle stars for her World War II service. Courtesy kshs.org, newspapers.com, wikipedia.com.