Joseph Ford Sirl was born on February 12, 1921, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He was the son of Joseph George Sirl. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in February 1940. Before being deployed to Europe, he had served in the Pacific and was stationed at Hickam Field, Hawaii, during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. He served in the 703rd Bomber Squadron, 445th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier of B-24 #42-110073 during World War II.

On September 27, 1944, B-24J Liberator serial number 42-110073 was lost during a combat mission over Germany while serving with the U.S. Eighth Air Force in the European Theater of Operations. The aircraft was part of the American strategic bombing campaign targeting German industrial and military objectives when it encountered heavy enemy opposition, including fighter interception and anti-aircraft fire. During the intense aerial battle, the bomber was shot down and crashed in enemy-held territory, and its loss was officially documented in a U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report. The destruction of the aircraft occurred during one of the most dangerous phases of the air war over Germany, when American bomber formations regularly suffered severe losses while penetrating heavily defended airspace.

2Lt Sirl was Killed in Action and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.445bg.org