Fegan and his battery provided support fire for advancing units of 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines and after the island was declared secured, it moved to Maui, Hawaii.

Fegan boldly exposed himself to heavy and sustained enemy shelling to lead his battery into position and commence firing.

By nightfall, with his entire emplacement under intense bombardment by shells and small-arms fire, he gallantly moved from one gun crew to another, encouraging and rallying his men and those in adjacent posts.

For his bravery and leadership of his battery during Saipan campaign, Fegan was decorated with the Silver Star and also received the Purple Heart for wounds.

[7][1] He rejoined his battery soon after and led it during the capture of Tinian one month later and during the infamous battle of Iwo Jima in February and March 1945.

[1][6] Fegan returned to the United States in November 1945 and joined the Redistribution Regiment of the Marine Training and Replacement Command, San Diego Area at Camp Pendleton.

During the fighting near Chindong-ni on 8 August 1950, Fegan was assigned the mission of seizing a well organized enemy position, strongly manned with automatic weapons.

Without regard for his own safety, Captain Fegan led the advance and continually exposed himself to enemy fire to coordinate and direct the assault.

Despite the fact that he lost consciousness three times from heat prostration, he refused to be evacuated, but chose to remain with his command until the position was taken and the enemy overrun.

[7] After treatment at the field hospital, he rejoined his company and led it during the fighting near Kosong on 18 August, when he was hit by enemy fire and unable to move.

[1] Following his arrival, Fegan completed the Spanish language course at Vox Institute of Language and the Strategic Intelligence School at Army Intelligence Center in Washington, D.C., before reporting to the American Embassy in Madrid, Spain as the Assistant Naval Attache and Assistant Naval Attache for Air and held that duty until December 1957.

After two years in Spain, Fegan returned to the United States and assumed duty as administrative assistant to the chairman, Inter-American Defense Board at Headquarters Marine Corps.

The Combat Operations Center was responsible for the performing the nerve-center function for General William Westmoreland as the latter did for the Joint Chiefs.

While in this capacity, Fegan also held dual responsibility as director of Marine Corps Institute until he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in September 1968.

[1] Fegan was promoted to major general in December 1971 and ordered to Okinawa, Japan, to assume command of 3rd Marine Division.

Upon his retirement from the Marines, he settled in Point Loma, California, and served as foreman of the San Diego Grand Jury.

[12] [7][13][14][1] Lieutenant General Joseph C. Fegan Jr. died on 2 January 1991, in Naval Hospital, San Diego, following a long battle with cancer.