Joseph J. McCord was born on June 8, 1924. He was the son of James E. McCord and Ethel Groomer McCord.

He was the right waist gunner of the B-25 Liberator 41-29244 “Double Trouble” that took off from Gioia del Colle, Italy on a mission to bomb the German Messerschmitt aircraft factory by Regensburg. Shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Slovenia. Five crew members went down with the plane and five parachuted from the severely damaged aircraft. McCord perished in the crash.