Joseph Vigna was born on May 2, 1920 and was from California.

First Lieutenants Robert O. Peters and Joseph Vigna were assigned to the 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group , “The Steeple Morden Strafers” of the 8th US Air Force. 1st Lieutenant Peters was flying on his 50th mission. On September 18, 1944, Peters flying P-51 (44-13675) and Vigna flying P-51 (42-103317) flying from Steeple Morden (AAF Station F- 122) were two of 64 fighters from the 355th FG to support 110 B-17 dropping supplies to Polish Resistance Fighters fighting the enemy during the Warsaw Uprising. The bombers and fighters were flying on an Operation Frantic (Frantic VII) where bombers would shuttle between England, the Soviet Union and Italy. Planes were scheduled to land in the Soviet Union during this last Operation Frantic mission. While flying over Warsaw, the formation was attached by BF-109 fighters and one B-17 and the P-51s of Peters and Vigna were shot down. Vigna Peters were downed near the village of Kątne and Stara Wrona in the Nasielsk vicinity. Both were buried locally and their bodies repatriated to the US in 1948 (Reference Missing Aircraft Reports {MACR} 9238 & 9239).
A memorial members Vigna and Peters near their crash site in Nasielsk, Poland