Sgt Joseph Edward Hartz was born March 6, 1948 in Manhattan, New York City to Walter E Hartz and Laura Bazyluk Hartz. He was one of 8 children.l

Upon the death of his father, his mother was unable to be raise all the children in Brooklyn. Joseph first went to St Dominic's convent, and was later embraced in foster homes in Blauvet and Piermont, NY. 

Young Joey was welcomed at the age of 5 into the home of Dorothy and Ray Holmes, and spent his childhood and adolescence on Hudson Terrace in Piermont, and a couple of years at the home of the Gouldner's in Blauvelt.

Joseph Hartz graduated from Tappan Zee High School, a decorated athlete in Cross Country and Basketball.

Graduation Photo from Tappanzee High School

Joseph Hartz entered the conflict in Vietnam at the age of 19, in June of 1967.

Joseph went to Southeast Asia as a member of the Charlie Company / 3rd Battalion / 22nd Infantry, Tropic Lightening, serving in (ya din) GiaDinh province outside of Saigon. Throughout the fall of 1967, Tropic Lightening was involved in Operation Saratoga, in which US soldiers engaged the Viet Cong in the jungles from the Cambodian border to the outskirts of Saigon. One of the widest ranging operations yet undertaken in the war, the C/3/22nd found plenty of Viet Cong to deal with.

1968 dawned a turbulent year. At the start of the Lunar New Year in late January, the Viet Cong began a push that would become named for that Vietnamese holiday. Known as the TET Offensive, this coordinated push throughout all of Vietnam took the US and South Vietnamese forces by surprise. Over 70,000 North Vietnamese troops engaged in this broad action, taking the battle from the jungles to the cities, including the capitol Saigon itself. The fact that the people of South Vietnam raised no alarms as the Viet Cong organized battalions, regiments, and divisions in their midst spoke volumes about the regime in which the United States was supporting and devoting the lives of its soldiers.

During the Offensive, Sergeant Hartz’ battalion was focused outside of Saigon, along Highway 1, blocking Viet Cong passage along that supply route and keeping the way open for civilians and US Forces. Joseph’s battalion engaged the enemy often, increasing pressure on the Viet Cong and ultimately foiling their plan to isolate Saigon. The offensive carried on for through February and although the US embassy in Saigon was invaded and occupied for a brief time, the military success of the Viet Cong was limited.

The TET Offensive was a major turning point for the public’s opinion of the war, and began to raise doubts that a ‘win’ was possible in Vietnam. But on the ground, the soldiers did not have the luxury to question why.

Joseph sent home a poem from early 1968 that expressed his dedication to the cause of helping the Vietnamese people:

A Lonely Man

I sit alone every night and watch the stars that shine above and wonder why. Why was I chosen to serve in this foreign land?

Because back home everyone seems to think we’re wrong. But, in the short time I’ve been here, the people have shone (sic) me that they are glad we’re here to help them fight for their freedoms and rights. Like our fore fathers did for us.

I’m no longer a lonely man but a man with a job that just has to be done!

As the TET Offensive wound down in late February 1968, the 3rd Battalion was engaged by the VC 9th division in fighting east and south of (kootshee) Cu Chi. Joseph’s battalion soon moved south to the (hok moan) Hoc Mon village area, four miles northwest of Saigon along Highway 1. The beginning of March found Companies C & D engaged in a fierce battle on the outskirts of Hoc Mon. On March 6th 1968, Sergeant Joseph Hartz was killed in action, just a few weeks before his 20th birthday.

On the verge of adulthood, he left to join in the conflict in Vietnam and gave his life in the service of his country. He is remembered with a street named for him in the Village- Hartz Terrace, off of Piermont Place.

* Above is excerpt from Speech in Piermont NY - 2012 Hartz Speech

3 - KIA White, Hartz, Heiselman
4 - WIA Kelly, Sullivan, Hanke, Volli

Photo of the other men that were WIA that day

Sgt Joseph E Hartz is buried in Saint Raymonds Cemetery, 2600 Lafayette Avenue, Bronx, New York, 10465 with his sister Jean (Hartz) Kane and her husbands family.

His sister Jean Hartz, born DEC 20, 1942 in Manhattan, NY, married Thomas Kane in 1961. She passed away in November 1979 and is also buried in this cemetery. William and Clara Hartz are the parents of Thomas Kane.

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