Joel T. Armstrong was born on November 14, 1917. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Staff Sergeant in the 625th Ordnance Ammunition Company. On 30 May 1944 between 0025 and 0120 hours, twenty high explosive bombs hit Falmouth Town, Cornwall, England. The Germans were trying to destroy the oil storage facilities there. A 1.25 million gallon fuel tank received a direct hit and the ensuing fire burned for over 24 hours. Two adjacent hotels, which housed US servicemembers, were damaged and numerous Americans were killed. He was one of the casualties and is now buried in Mars Hill Cemetery, Englewood, McMinn County, Tennessee, USA.