Jim Morrison 
Letters from Joe 

Johan S. Opheim, commonly known as ‘Joe’, was inducted into the U.S. Army just a few days before Pearl Harbor in World War II. Having grown up on the plains of Eastern Montana and having experienced the struggles of the Great Depression, and challenging family situations, he was well prepared for the hardships he endured. He served with his fellow members of the 3rd Infantry Division in the Mediterranean theater, starting first with North Africa, then on to Sicily, then the Italian mainland and eventually on to the South of France where he met his untimely death. He was remembered for his jovial attitude towards life and his intellect, the later of which he did not have the opportunity to develop more fully. Relatives had saved 165 of his letters that he had written to them from the mid 1930s and up through his last campaign. The author has reprinted these letters and developed Joe’s biography by filling in the gaps of information about his life which includes comments regarding the contents of the letters, and narratives about his travels and his unit’s experiences.

Mengenai Pengarang

Born in 1940, Jim Morrison grew up on a ranch in Eastern Montana and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Range Management. Thereafter he served two years with the US Army, including an assignment in Thailand. He served 32 years with the Bureau of Land Management as a Range Conservationist and Area Manager in several western states and retired in 1998 after serving 10 years as the State Rangeland Specialist for the agency in California.

He now resides near Sacramento, California with his wife Conni of 38 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. Besides writing, Jim now keeps busy with church related work, and has participated in several foreign Lutheran missions, including Puerto Rico and Russia.