Joseph Giacobello was one of the most highly decorated soldiers in Central Pennsylania. A life-long resident of Mt. Union, he served gallantly in World War II. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts, and the Combat Infantry Badge while fighting with the 35th Infantry Division in Europe.

After completing his junior year, Joe was drafted into the Army on June 17, 1942 and assigned to the infantry. He did his basic training at Camp Pickett, Virginia and later went to Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  

Joe went overseas with the 35th Infantry Division. He was with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment. The 35th Infantry Division arrived in Normandy July 5, 1944 and went into action on July 11, fighting in the hedgerows north of St. Lo. On July 13 Lieutenant Giacobello earned his first Silver Star and Purple Heart. During an attack Company F was held up by enemy machine guns firing from a group of houses. Lieutenant Giacobello volunteered to lead a patrol to outflank enemy positions. Though wounded he led his patrol to capture his platoon objective and from there placed fire on enemy positions that permitted the rest of the company to advance.  

Joe was promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to 1st Lieutenant on September 5, 1944. Then on September 11 Joe earned another Silver Star when his regiment attempted to cross the Moselle River near  Creyechamps. With 15 other men of his company, Lieutenant Giacobello was given the mission to establish a foothold on the east bank of the river. He led an assault squad across a dam to the east side of the river in the face of particularly heavy concentrations of enemy fire. His troops took cover behind a retaining wall of the dam, but Lieutenant Giacobello, with utter disregard for personal safety, leaped over the wall and onto the hostile shore. He was separated from other troops for a period of twelve hours, during which time he maneuvered along the enemy shore line and infiltrated enemy positions, securing valuable information. When his squad finally succeeded in rejoining him, Lieutenant Giacobello established communications with the battalion command post and directed movement of supporting troops to his area, thereby securing the bridgehead the following day.  

For outstanding duty in the action against the enemy in Saarguemines, Company F received Battle Honors. It was one of only three infantry companies in the 35th Division to be awarded Battle Honors during the course of the war.  

On December 12, the 137th Infantry was the first regiment of the Division to enter Germany. Later in the month the 35th Division moved to Arlon, Belgium and took part in the Battle of the Bulge, helping to relieve Bastogne. The Division moved to the Netherlands in February. On February 13 Joe was granted a furlough and sent back to the United States where his assignment was to prepare for the invasion of Japan. However, the war ended before he was ever deployed to the Pacific.

When the war ended Joe was discharged. Joe was inducted into the Shippensburg University ROTC Hall of Fame at its annual dinner at the U.S. Army War College in 2017. On September 10, 2018 Joe was inducted into the 35th Infantry Division Hall of Fame.