Our Veterans
In honor of those who served our country in the armed forces, this San Marino Tribune article continues a series of individual salutes to our courageous veterans.
By Mitch Lehman
Services were held on Wednesday afternoon for 48-year San Marino resident Joseph T. ‘Joe’ Forgatch, who went to be with his Lord this past Saturday. He was 95.
Still sharp as a tack at the time of his passing, Forgatch “lived life fully, and was blessed to play his last nine holes of golf in August with his brand new Big Bertha driver,” family members told The Tribune.
If his civilian life was long and bountiful, Forgatch’s military career was downright fascinating. He served in the military intelligence for the United Stated Army Counter Intelligence Corps in Oak Ridge, Tenn. – the Manhattan Project – where the splitting of the atom and the making of the hydrogen bomb was taking place.
A 22-year old Forgatch was working for the FBI and attending law school in Atlanta when he was inducted into the United States Army. The FBI filed an occupational deferment and – with a letter signed by J. Edgar Hoover requesting his services – Forgatch reported to Ft. McPherson on April 6, 1942. Six months later, he took a sworn oath to the Counter Intelligence Corps.
For the full story, see the print edition of the San Marino Tribune, or download the e-edition.
