Colonel Joseph James Koontz was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School 8 May 1942, class number 10. His first duty assignment was as Rifle Platoon Leader, Regiment’l Recon Platoon Leader, Regimental S-2, 27th Infantry Reg, 25th Division. | His subsequent duty assignments include: F Company Commander, 1st Bn Exec Officer, 27th Inf Reg, 25th Division, Central Pacific, Guadal Canal, New Georgia, Br. Solomon Is, Phillipine Islands, Japan; Bn Exec, Bn Comdr, 86th Tank Bn (RTC), Fort Knox, Kentucky; Student, Armor Advance Course, Fort Knox, Kentucky; Student Airborne Course, Fort Benning, Georgia; Student, DA-Pentagon-ACofS-Army Language School, Washington, D.C. & Monterey, California; Advisor to Colombian Military Schools, Army RTC, Army Staff, U.S. Army Mission, Colombia; (Countee Insurgency) Operations & Tng (Counter Insurgency), U.S. Army Mission, Colombia; Instructor, Colombian War College, Bogota, Columbia; Student, Regular Course Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Budget and Finance Officer, Dir Army Budget, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; Member, Counterinsurgency Survey Team to Latin Country, TDY, Ope Sec Defense; Ofc Director Plans, Special Warfare (Counter insurgency) DCSOPS, DA, Pentagon, Washington D.C.; Commander Det #3, Sr Advisor 4th Inf Div, RTA, Thailand; Chief Plans Br, Pro Div G-3, Headquarters, Second U.S. Army, Fort Gordon, Georgia & Meade, Maryland; Chief Unit Tng, Reserve Comp Div, D.C.SOT (G-3) Headquarters, Second U.S. Army; Sp Asst to D.CSOT, Exec Off P&O Div D.CSOT (G-3), Headquarters, Second U.S. Army; Chief of Mission, U.S. Army Mission, Guatemala, Central American; Commander, U.S. Military Group, Guatemala; Comptroller, Headquarters USATC, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. | Colonel Koontz's awards and decorations include: Legion of Merit (Combat Action), Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Phillipine Liberation Medal, Phillipine Presidential Unit Citation, Army Commendation Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Army of Occupation (Japan) Nat Def, NDSM 1st Oak Leaf Cluster, Decoration Government of Colombia, 6 overseas bars.