He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and the Air Medal for
heroism.
Joe was always expected to have been the Kennedy that would become
President of the United States. After his tragic death, the mantle fell
to his brother John who did become President in 1960.
He was killed on August 12, 1944 while flying a secret mission to knock
out Hitler's V1 Rockets. His plane, weighted down with explosives,
exploded over the English Channel. The reasons why the plane exploded
remain a mystery.