December 22, 2020
Joe Etta on the day he received the French Liberty Medal in 2009. (Photo by Ande Merante)
Veteran fought in three WWII invasions
Joseph C. “Joe” Etta, 102, a lifelong resident of Cold Spring and World War II veteran who fought in three major invasions, including at Normandy, died Tuesday (Dec. 22) at the Castle Point VA Medical Center in Wappingers Falls.
Etta was born in Cold Spring on April 22, 1918, the son of Giuseppe and Francesca (Botta) Etta. He graduated from Haldane High School in 1938 and enlisted in 1941 in the U.S. Army. In 35 months of service during World War II, he participated in three major Allied invasions in North Africa in 1942, Sicily in 1943 and Normandy in the D-Day invasion of June 1944 and rose from private first class to sergeant.