In Memory of Joseph Howe

Family, friends, and fellow AGE Rangers, as most of you know, we lost one of our own, Joseph L. Howe, aka “Howie” this past Thursday, 27 Oct 2022. After talking with his wife, it was decided to honor Joe’s last wishes and to have him cremated without a service. These were his wishes and who are we to deviate from those. It was also his final wishes to be laid to rest in Arlington which will still need coordination and planning. So, to make this possible and to help his lovely wife until that time comes, I have started this Go Fund Me in hopes to help make that last wish a reality; to cover transportation costs and other costs associated with losing a loved one. Please consider giving if you can.

I personally met Joe for the first time while stationed in Germany. Our first interaction was one typical of anyone who knew or met Joe. We met while attending an inhouse FTD (Field Training Detachment). Joe had just put on his SSgt stripe while I was just a little A1C. Since both of us were coming from fighter bases previously, a quick refresher on the good old -86 diesel generator was probably a good thing for us both. (However, this might be in question now that I think about it.) You see, the FTD was held in the building I worked in, the C-130 CAT while Joe was assigned to the AMC CAT. And since I worked there in that building, I was able to get into the classroom first and remove the old BDU blouse before he arrived, and simply hung it on the back of the chair I was sitting in. Joe came in and was seated almost directly across from me. Our instructor, then TSgt Urick, had us go around the room and introduce ourselves and state where we were coming from and where we were working at; you know, the normal introduction protocol. Well, we are talking about Joe, so nothing is “normal.”

Howie came in, stated he just got in from Shaw AFB and worked down at AMC CAT and that overall, he liked it down there so far; minus this squeaky little female airman he had to work with! She had the audacity to drive the flightline using a dirty ass pillow so she could reach the pedals in the bobtail. And as most of you know, Joe would not stop. He kept on opening his mouth, inserting his foot farther and farther. It was at this time I noticed TSgt Urick’s eyes about the size of silver dollars because unbeknownst to Joe, he was describing my wife, Amy. After assuring TSgt Urick all was well, and once Joe finally stopped talking, TSgt Urick tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to me and stated something like, “And that’s her husband right there.” Joe immediately started to unbutton his blouse thinking we were about to throw down until I said, “It’s all good, I wanted to strangle her because of her voice too back in tech school – it’s all good!” And this was the start of over what turned out to be a 26+ year brotherhood.

You see, Joe and I started our brotherhood in Germany, only to be followed up by years at Mt Home. We even deployed once together back in the day. We’ve shed a tear or two, and quite a few beers or two…. thousands or so. We’ve watched each other’s children grow and even raised a few of the furry ones together as well; Joe definitely loved his dogs. Yes, Joe was loud, a hard ass at work, and might have even spoken his mind a time or two, but you always knew where you stood with him. His love and pride for this country and his beloved Pittsburg Steelers were never in question. And maybe, just maybe, if you got to know the Joe I knew, you too might have seen the softer, more caring side like I did.

So once again, if you can give, please consider doing so. If you cannot, all we ask for is a simple share of this on any or all of your social media pages. Thank you in advance.