Joseph Anthony Bitting II

3132nd Signal Service Co : T&M Platoon

Born 1923 in MD, Died 1986

Other residence(s): Baltimore, MD; Winston-Salem, NC

United States Army, European Theatre of Operations

Occupation before the war: student

College education before the war: Univ. of North Carolina

College education after the war: Univ. of North Carolina

Source: 3132 Caption List; photo courtesy Ancestry® and Woodberry Forest School

Joe Bitting was born on October 26, 1923 in Baltimore, MD; he was an only child. He was named after his grandfather who was a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Winston-Salem, NC. Sometime after Joe's birth, the family moved back to Winston-Salem where his father served as secretary/treasurer of Hanes Hosiery and the family's ancestry dated back to the 1750s. Joe graduated in 1941 from Woodberry Forest School, a boarding school in Madison, VA, where his nickname was "Bit." The yearbook describes him as an "easygoing, conscientious, and ever-smiling" student who "still had time for his studies." He was also an athlete--running track and playing tennis ambidextrously.

He then went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, after completing his freshman year, and enlisted on January 15, 1943. He was selected on the basis of his scholastic record for an Army-sponsored meteorology training program for "young men of high promise" with particular strengths in mathematics. (Only about 5% of applicants from NC colleges and universities were accepted.) He continued to take advanced courses at UNC that spring under Army auspices and by November he was training as a weather observer at Chanute Field in Illinois. He was eventually assigned to the 3132 Signal Service Company, and went to Europe as a meteorologist with the unit.

After the war he returned to his Romance Languages studies at UNC. He married Sara Elizabeth Fulton (a high school English teacher) on August 31, 1946, and received his college degree in 1947 when he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

After graduation, Joe went to work for RJ Reynolds Tobacco, in the export division, where his foreign language skills were put to good use. He handled foreign correspondence and translated for prospective customers. He and Sara also entertained on behalf of Reynolds; his daughter-in-law notes that guests at the family's historic Greek Revival home included luminaries like Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner.

Joe and Sara became the parents of five children: Joseph III (Jody), Greg, Paul, Elizabeth Sterling, and Frank.

Sadly, Sara Bitting died of a heart attack at the age of 46, leaving Joe with one adult son and four teenagers.

Joe remained employed by RJ Reynolds International Division, and on August 4, 1973 married Mary Margaret Holyfield, also a Reynolds staffer.

Joe continued to play tennis as an adult and was also a model train enthusiast. He was active in the local model train club as well as the Twin City Club and St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Joe's daughter-in-law says Joe "never mentioned his time in the Army. He loved Carolina basketball and football and also drinking Pabst during baseball on TV."

Joe died on January 12, 1986 and is buried at Salem Cemetery in Winston-Salem, along with at least 17 other Bittings with graves dating back to 1865.