Joe Snuffy's has been serving Abilene for over 20 years.

What's in a Name?

At Joe Snuffy's we have great respect and admiration for our military and all those who serve.

During World War I, a soldier was generally referred to as a "Private Johnny." Shortly before World War II, this changed and soldiers were being referred to as GI Joes, which stood for "Government Issue Joe." Dwight D. Eisenhower notably referenced the "G.I. Joe" as the main hero of World War II, in his May 1945 Victory in Europe Day address.

Then along came Staff Sergeant Maynard Harrison "Snuffy" Smith. He served in the United States Army Air Forces as an aerial gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in World War II. At the age of 31 he was given the choice of jail or the Army, he chose the Army.

It was reported that he hated taking orders from men younger than him so he volunteered for Aerial Gunnery School and was promoted quickly for his effort. His initial flight was a bombing mission over France on May 1, 1943. His plane was hit and his heroic conduct saved his crew and resulted in his being awarded the Medal of Honor.

Records show he missed his Medal of Honor ceremony because he was pulling Kitchen Patrol (KP) as a consequence of some of his "non-heroic" behavior. Today the term Private Snuffy is commonly used as a colloquial military archetype by instructors and service members to describe an insubordinate, clumsy, or rule-breaking junior enlisted recruit.

We think all our military members are heroes, and Joe Snuffy's pays tribute to all those who serve.