Joseph Lawless was born in Waltham, MA in 1890. He joined Co. F, 5th Infantry Regiment, Mass National Guard in 1909, and quickly became a major competitor in military shooting competitions. He was one of 19 men chosen for the United States Rifle Team for the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. After the Olympics, he was made Captain of Co. I, 181st Infantry. Lawless died tragically young in 1923 of pneumonia, probably complicated by his having been gassed in World War I.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service