Joseph Barger was born in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925, and grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He took a bus to school because he lived on the outskirts of the city. He grew up with two older sisters and one brother. He and his siblings built a badminton court in their backyard and played every day after school. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], food was scarce but he was not aware of it because it was standard. His father worked at a foundry and did not lose his job during the Depression. His family moved around frequently for cheaper rent. Barger was never aware of the rising tensions in Japan and Germany. He was building a rock wall at his house when he was told that Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was attending high school at the time and immediately joined the service upon graduation. His brother entered the Army before him. During their overseas duty, he was able to see his brother a few times. In 1943 at age 17, Barger joined the Navy and attended an eight-week training program at Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois. Barger was sent to Jeffersonville, Indiana to board USS LST-716 [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. He served on board the ship from June 1944 until it was transferred to the Chinese government in 1946. Barger does not know why he joined the Navy. During his training at Great Lakes he had to dig holes to plant trees in the ice. He also had target practice. After he boarded USS LST-716, the crew took it down the Mississippi River. They hit several sand bars. When they exited the mouth of the river and crossed the Gulf of Mexico, they went through the Panama Canal [Annotator's Note: manmade canal in the country of Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in between North and South America]. They were on constant alert for enemy submarines in the Gulf and then along the Pacific coast. They stopped in Hawaii and trained for an amphibious invasion. Barger was a machinist’s mate in the engine rooms for the LST.

Joseph Barger was assigned as a machinist’s mate in the engine rooms aboard the USS LST-716. After amphibious training in Hawaii, his ship headed for the Pacific. He remembered hearing reports of ships being sunk, especially the LSTs [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. LSTs were nicknamed “Large Slow Targets”. Barger’s LST was part of the assault on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima; 19 February to 26 March 1945; Iwo Jima, Japan]. His LST was there for four days bringing supplies and LVTs [Annotator's Note: Landing Vehicle, Tracked or LVT; also referred to as amtrack or alligator] to the island. His ship almost sunk due to the weather. Everyone pitched in to seal the ship from taking on water so they could head to the next location. Barger saw a kamikaze hit the USS Birmingham (CL-62) which was alongside his LST. Barger was working in the engine room during the four days of Iwo Jima. After his LST departed Iwo Jima, they had their ship repaired before heading to Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg; 1 April to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. The events were worse there than at Iwo Jima because there was more area to cover. He saw the American flag rise up on Iwo Jima before he left. At Okinawa, their routine was getting personnel and supplies on and off the island. His LST anchored in Japan after the surrender. He walked around the city for an hour or two. Barger could not believe the war was over in the Pacific. His ship was one of the first to arrive in Japan. The local population was kind to him. His ship was given the detail of unloading supplies and picking up prisoners from islands and taking them back to Japan. His ship made several trips around China and then turned the ship over to the Chinese. He boarded a troop ship two weeks later and headed back to the United States. Barger returned home in October 1946 and was discharged.

After the war, Joseph Barger took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] and attended the University of Tennessee [Annotator’s Note: Knoxville, Tennessee] where he studied mechanical engineering. Barger’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was the news of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He felt it was an obligation to defend his country. His life did not change too much after his service. His service is a reminder of his obligation to defend his country and he would do it again. He does not think World War 2 means very much to Americans today. Barger believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. He enjoyed his trip to the Museum. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:36:53.000.] His LST once took on water because the bow door broke off. There was another time when a torpedo went under his ship. Barger was able to visit his older brother, who was in the Army, while Barger’s ship was docked in the Philippines. He remembered when his LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] took Earnie Pyle [Annotator's Note: Ernest Taylor Pyle; American journalist and war correspondent] ashore at Okinawa before he was killed. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:40:20.000.] Barger was not 21 years of age when he returned from service.