Joseph William Henahan was born at Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania on November 8, 1915, and later resided at Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John L. Henahan (19 Jan 1889 – 8 Jul 1975), who was born at Ashley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and Margaret V. (Carr) Henahan (13 Sep 1891 – 6 Mar 1972), who was born at Sugar Notch, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. His parents married at Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania on June 25, 1913, and lived initially at New Brunswick, New Jersey. He had three siblings: Marion (Henahan) Redington (31 Mar 1914 – Dec 1990); John Henry 'Jack' Henahan (5 Jan 1919 – 23 May 1987); and Eleanor F. (Henahan) McGilloway (23 Aug 1925 – Dec 1993). In 1920 the family lived at Dorranceton (now part of Kingston) in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. By 1930 the family lived on King Street in Northumberland, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His father was a machinist at an automobile factory and a foreman for a manufacturing company.

Joseph Henahan graduated from Northumberland High School in 1933, and worked at the Middletown, Pennsylvania Air Depot before entering the service. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania on July 20, 1942, and was called to active duty in August 1942. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had brown hair and gray eyes.

He trained at Saint Petersburg, Florida; Gulfport, Mississippi; Burbank, California; and Kingman, Arizona. He was then sent to Camp Kearns near Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was assigned as flight engineer and aerial gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt David L. Ozbolt. The Ozbolt crew was initially assigned to the Webb Provisional Group at Gowen Field, Idaho; and was then attached to the 538th Bomb Squadron of the 382nd Bomb Group at Pocatello Army Air Base, Idaho. In November 1943 the Ozbolt crew was assigned to the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Bruning Army Air Base, Nebraska. In December 1943 the 487th Bomb Group moved to Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico to complete B-24 crew training. The Ozbolt crew deployed with the 487th Bomb Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52588 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived at Lavenham by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On July 20, 1944 the Ozbolt crew flew B-24H 42-51197 on a practice bombing mission near its base. T/Sgt Henahan was not with the crew on this day when they collided with another aircraft, B-17G 43-37840, that was also on a training mission. Five men aboard the B-24, including pilot Lt Ozbolt, were killed when it crashed near Cavendish, England.

T/Sgt Henahan was reassigned as flight engineer on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron. On August 25, 1944 the Duncan crew took off from Lavenham Airfield in B-17G 43-37980, the deputy lead aircraft of the Lead Squadron, on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Captain Winston S. Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader. Copilot Lt James Hood Jr moved to the tail gunner position as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. T/Sgt Henahan and eight of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a spin, exploded, and crashed in Muritz Lake (Mόritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood's body was never found. He probably went to the bottom of Muritz Lake with the aircraft wreckage.

The body of T/Sgt Henahan was recovered on the shore of Muritz Lake near Boek on September 20, 1944. His remains and those of seven of his crewmates were buried initially at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield. His remains were disinterred on 17 July 1947, moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery at Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, and reinterred there in Plot AA, Row 11, Grave 251.

His remains were returned to the United States and arrived at the Lehigh Valley station in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Friday, July 8, 1949. His remains were then reinterred at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Wilkes-Barre. He is buried next to his parents. B-17G 43-37980 crew:
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com