Joseph was born on the 19th of February, 1889, in Louisville, Ohio, and there is little recorded information about his early and later life. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1908 and it was his marksmanship during the Mexican Campaign as a Boatswain’s Mate Second Class that would earn him the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

On board the U.S.S. Florida, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914. (CMOHS.org)

Joseph had fired several shots at Mexican Navy Lieutenant Jose Azueta who was manning a machine gun outside a building about 300 yards away and would die from his wounds after being removed from the field. He received his Medal of Honor on the 15th of June, 1914 and retired from the Navy at the rank of Chief Petty Officer in 1945. Joseph Gabriel Harner died on the 5th of March, 1958 at the age of 69 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery: Section 17, Lot 21199-B-2 (FindAGrave.com)