Joe differed from most servicemen from Hopkinton; he enlisted in the Marine Corps before World War II. Joe was color-blind, a condition that undoubtedly limited the kinds of assignments he could take on. Yet, in a successful 23-year career Joe became a Sergeant Major – the highest rank achievable by an enlisted person. Joe was also a member of the 6th Marine Division. “The Sixth, although a new division, entered the Battle of Okinawa with more combat experience than any of the other Marine divisions in their initial assaults” (“A Brief History”).

 

Joe, as a young sergeant, was serving in Company A, of the newly designated Pioneer Battalion. Pioneers were converted engineers responsible for organizing the beachhead. On an undefended coast, pioneers reconnoitered beaches and determined the best landing places. They constructed access roads and piers and laid beach road mats; they provided equipment and operators to unload craft and organize supply dumps. In short, they were designed to be a highly efficient Shore Party responsible for getting thousands of men and hundreds of tons of equipment into action. During the initial landings, First Sergeant Fair was at Hagushi and remembers dealing with supplies such as ammunition and rations.

 

In a Hopkinton newsletter dated May 1945, it was said, “First Sergeant Joe Fair is a member of the 6th Marine Division recently decorated for outstanding heroism.”