Joseph Gojlik was born on November 8, 1922, and grew up at 14 Madison Avenue in Yonkers, New York. He was the son of Dominick Gojlik and Benigna "Anna" Halyczky Gojlik. He attended Longfellow Junior High School and Saunders Trade School, and later worked as a spinner at the Alexander Smith and Sons carpet factory before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Forces in July 1942. He trained as a radio operator at Scott Field, Illinois, and earned his silver gunner’s wings along with a promotion to Sergeant after graduating from Harlingen Army Air Gunnery School in Texas. He became a radio operator on a B-24D Liberator heavy bomber and was deployed to Africa, flying numerous combat missions in the Middle East and Mediterranean theaters.

On 11 November 1943, Sergeant Gojlik was serving as radio operator aboard B-24D Liberator #42-40105 “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” flying with the 344th Bomb Squadron “Pyramiders,” 98th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, from Enfidaville Airfield in Tunisia, as part of a 32-aircraft mission to strike the ball-bearing factory at Annecy, France. During the return flight, the aircraft suffered mechanical failure, fell out of formation, and was attacked by more than six enemy fighters. The aircraft was heavily hit, resulting in multiple fatalities. Some crew members were able to parachute to safety; one was wounded and captured, while five evaded with help from Aldo Quaranta’s Partisan Brigades and returned to duty via Switzerland after about three weeks. Technical Sergeant Joseph Gojlik was killed by enemy fire after parachuting from the aircraft. he is now buried in the Saint Joseph's Cemetery, Yonkers, Westchester County, New York, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, Missing Aircraft Report {MACR} 1197