Joseph kept this photograph of Grace in his wallet while he served on the Aleutian Islands. The couple had dated for two years before the Army drafted him. They got engaged when Joseph came back to Madison, Wisconsin, on furlough in 1943. They married on August 13, 1945, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Kaukauna. The couple celebrated the Japanese surrender two days after their marriage ceremony.

Joseph Kugler's fiance, Grace Verbeten,
poses in front of a Chevrolet, circa 1943
Courtesy of Grace Kugler

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