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During the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] of World War II, G.I. Joe saved the lives of the inhabitants of the village of [[Calvi Risorta|Calvi Vecchia]], [[Italy]], and of the [[British Army|British troops]] of [[56th (London) Division|56th (London) Infantry Division]] occupying it. Air support had been previously requested against German positions at Calvi Vecchia on 18 October 1943. However, the [[169th (3rd London) Brigade|169th (London) Infantry Brigade]] attacked and won back the village from the Germans ahead of schedule but they were unable to transmit a message via radio to call off the planned American air raid.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird|last=Blechman|first=Andrew|publisher=Grove Press|year=2006|isbn=9780802143280|location=New York|pages=35}}</ref> G.I. Joe was dispatched as a last resort to carry the message and arrived in the air base just in time to avoid the Allied air force from bombing their own men. G.I. Joe flew this 20-mile distance in an impressive 20 minutes, just as the planes were preparing to take off for the target. Over 100 men were saved.<ref name="DickinMedal">{{cite web |title=PDSA Dickin Medal : Pigeons |url=https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/animal-awards-programme/pdsa-dickin-medal |publisher=PDSA |accessdate=9 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Prater |first1=Winton |title=Outstanding Performance of Carrier Pigeon |url=https://www.arcre.com/pigeons/pigeonsgijoe |accessdate=9 December 2019 |work=TNO WO 204/2930 |date=16 November 1943}}</ref>
On 4 November 1946, G.I. Joe was presented the [[Dickin Medal]] for gallantry by Major-General [[Charles Keightley]] at the Tower of London the citation credits him with ''the most outstanding flight made by a United States Army homing pigeon in World War II''.<ref name="times">"War Pigeon's Medal." Times [London, England] 5 Nov. 1946: 7. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 6 July 2013.</ref> The award is also known as the equivalent of the [[Victoria Cross]] or the [[Medal of Honor]] for animals.<ref name=":0" /> G.I. Joe was the 29th and the first non-British recipient of the medal.<ref name="times" /> In 2019 he was also posthumously awarded the [[Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery]].<ref>The Washington Post, "U.S. animals now have a medal for wartime bravery", Nov 15, 2019 [https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/11/15/us-animals-now-have-medal-wartime-bravery/]</ref> <ref>The Washington Post, "New animal bravery medal honors heroic dogs, pigeons and horse," Nov. 18 2019 [https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/new-animal-bravery-medal-honors-dogs-pigeons-and-a-horse-who-served/2019/11/18/edb69aa0-0962-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html]</ref>
After World War II, he was housed at the U.S. Army's Churchill Loft at Fort Monmouth, in New Jersey along with 24 other heroic pigeons. He died at the [[Detroit Zoo|Detroit Zoological Gardens]] at the age of eighteen, and was mounted and displayed at the [[U.S. Army Communications Electronics Museum]] at [[Fort Monmouth]].<ref>[http://www.monmouth.army.mil/museum/gijoe.shtml G.I. Joe] Account of G.I. Joe by Otto Meyer, former commander of the US Army Pigeon Service. Retrieved 15 December 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023131232/http://www.monmouth.army.mil/museum/gijoe.shtml |date=October 23, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Army Communications and Electronics at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, 1917–2007|page=25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Iqvss1iSq84C&q=G.+I.+Joe#v=onepage&q=G.%20I.%20Joe&f=true|isbn=9780160813597|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=2008}}</ref>
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