As thousands of men struggled ashore on Omaha Beach against the withering fire of German defenders perched above the open beach, the endless stalemate meant more men of the 1st Infantry Division would be killed. Landing with the first men of the “Big Red One,” Army Technician 5th Grade John Joseph Pinder, Jr. selflessly struggled and ultimately sacrificed his life for a crucial mission.
Joe (second row, farthest left) with his minor league baseball team, the Sanford Indians. | Baseball's Great Sacrifice
Army Tech. 5th Grade Joe Pinder Jr., right, poses for a photo with his brother, Hal, a first lieutenant and bomber pilot, at an airfield in England in 1943. | Baseball's Great Sacrifice
Drafted in January 1942, Pinder had spent the past seven years as a pitcher in the minor leagues, including on farm teams for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and Brooklyn Dodgers. Assigned to the 16th Infantry Regiment as a radio operator, Pinder participated in campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, where received a Bronze Star for remaining at an observation post under fire in July 1943. While in England, Pinder met with his brother, a B-24 bomber pilot, before the latter was shot down over Belgium and held as a prisoner for the duration of the war.
“Refusing to take cover afforded, or to accept medical attention for his wounds, Technician Fifth Grade Pinder, though terribly weakened by loss of blood and in fierce pain, on three occasions went into the fire-swept surf to salvage communication equipment. He recovered many vital parts and equipment, including another workable radio.”
While returning from his third trip to the sunken landing craft, Pinder was hit by a burst of machine gun fire to his left leg. Once more on the beach, hunched over, assembling his communications equipment, Pinder was hit for the final time and killed in action.
American assault troops of the 3rd battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry, injured while storming Omaha Beach, wait by the Chalk Cliffs for evacuation | Public Domain
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U.S. soldiers disembark from a landing craft under heavy fire off the coast of Normandy, France, June 6, 1944. | Library of Congress
His dedication to establishing communications proved vital for supporting the 16th Infantry’s breakout from the beach. Thanks to Pinder’s struggle and sacrifice, naval gunners received target coordinates from the troops ashore, allowing the heavy guns of their ships to destroy German defenses and eliminate the machine guns and artillery targeting the landing force. Initially, Pinder was laid to rest at the makeshift American cemetery in Normandy. In 1947, his family decided to rebury his remains at Grandview Cemetery in his hometown of Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
Joe Pinder's burial at Grandview Cemetery in Florence, Pennsylvania, 1947 | Baseball's Great Sacrifice
For his valor on Omaha Beach, John Pinder received the Medal of Honor. It was presented to his father on January 26, 1945, by Major General Philip Hayes at the 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore. Along with his letters and wallet contents recovered in Normandy, Pinder’s Medal of Honor was donated to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Pittsburgh. For the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord in 2024, Pinder’s Medal is on loan to the National Museum of the United States Army in Virginia.