Little Ernie Joe, the 7-year-old orphan "mascot" of the Eight Army HQ's 502nd Reconnaissance Platoon, left for his new home in Texas on June 15, 1954.

Accompanied by his adoptive father, MSgt. Ravil B. Branham, also of the 502nd, the little lad is flying via Tokyo to his new home in San Antonio, Texas where his new adoptive mom Mrs. Dorothy Branham is waiting for him. In the States, a visit to the zoo is first on the list before Ernie Joe starts school.

During and right after the Korean War, stories of Korean orphans being "adopted" by various U.S. military units in South Korea filled the pages of Stars and Stripes. Some of these stories had follow ups when the children would get adopted by one of the unit members and taken to their new American homes. The stories often describe the "Americanization" of the children, taking on American dress, customs and tastes (and sometimes the language) of the U.S. military men they live with.