My father, Joseph Pinjuh, was born on March 6, 1939, on a small farm in the former Yugoslavia. At the end of World War II, the communists, led by Marshal Josip Tito, seized control of Yugoslavia. Shortly thereafter, the persecution of nationalist Croatians, Catholics and all non-communists began as rights and personal freedoms were whittled away. My father’s eldest brother was killed by the communists during Tito’s revolution. Growing up in this dictatorship, my father longed for personal freedom. While still in his teens, my father escaped communist Yugoslavia, emigrating to Italy and then France. Seeking even more freedom, my father legally came to the United States in 1963.
Once in the U.S., he started a successful auto repair business in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1968. Enjoying his first taste of true freedom, he became an avid outdoorsman hunting and fishing all over the country. He successfully hunted moose and white Dall sheep in Alaska, mule deer in Colorado and Montana, whitetail deer in multiple states and turkeys throughout the Midwest. He fished in fresh and salt water in too many places to count.
I was born in 1966 and named after my father. From a very early age, he instilled in me a great love of the outdoors and routinely took me hunting and fishing. My father became a big advocate of the Second Amendment, joining the NRA and continually reminding family and friends of the importance of legal gun ownership. He shared with us that the first thing the communists in Yugoslavia did was confiscate all weapons in private hands. Once the majority of the population was unarmed, the government-sponsored persecution began. My father never forgot that fact, and that is why he joined the NRA.
My father was with me when I took my first buck and first turkey, and for many more memorable hunts thereafter. Our best times together were spent hunting and fishing. His belief that freedom should be protected led me to join the USAF for nearly six years of active-duty service followed by a 27-year career in federal law enforcement. My son was born in 2001 and named after me. Together with my dad, we instilled in him our great love for hunting and fishing. My dad and I were with him when he took his first buck and first turkey at our hunting property in southern Ohio. With pride, we watched him become an accomplished outdoorsman and excellent marksman. My dad would also remind him that before a corrupt government can take your rights, they will first come to take your guns.
Despite the constraints of jobs, school and family obligations, our three generations of hunting and fishing Joes always found time to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors together. My dad finally retired from his auto repair job at age 84 and looked forward to even more hunting and fishing with family. Even at his advanced age, we would routinely find him in a deer stand hunting. My dad passed away on March 15, 2025, at the age of 86. Not only did our family lose a husband, father, uncle and grandfather, we lost the original and founding member of the three generations of the hunting Joes. We will never forget his advice concerning freedom. We also know he will be watching over our adventures for years to come, and if there is hunting in the afterlife, we know he’s sitting in a treestand right now!
