Jose Astorga was born in 1951 in Oakland, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on May 22, 1969, and after completing basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, from June to August 1969, he was trained as a helicopter repairman at Fort Eustis, Virginia, from August to November 1969. His first assignment was as a UH-1 Iroquois helicopter repairman with Company A, 5th Aircraft Maintenance Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, from November 1969 to April 1970, followed by service as a UH-1 repairman with the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company in South Vietnam from May 1970 to April 1971. SP4 Astorga served as a heavy vehicle driver at Fort Rucker, Alabama, from June to August 1971, and then returned to Southeast Asia where he served as a UH-1 repairman with the 187th Assault Helicopter Company in South Vietnam from October 1971 to February 1972. SP5 Astorga served with the 196th Infantry Brigade from February 1972 until he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on April 3, 1972. After spending 337 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 5, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries, and was honorably discharged from the Army on July 24, 1973.