Doing a few Internet searches has revealed the following information. I have not yet purchased detailed background reports which may reveal more or may disprove some of the following.
Samuel J Wurzelbacher, popularly known as "Joe The Plumber" thanks to John McCain, lives in Holland, Ohio. Joe is an Air Force veteran who attained the rank of E-4 (senior airman, equivalent to Army corporal) and held a military specialty of 3E451, which is Utilities Systems specialist.
A Utilities Systems specialist performs the following tasks for the Air Force: Installs, inspects, repairs, and manages plumbing, water distribution, wastewater collection systems and components, fire suppression and backflow prevention systems.
One of Joe's military base assignments was at Eielson AFB, Alaska.
Eielson AFB, Alaska, is located about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks in the interior of Alaska, and is the home to the 354th Fighter Wing.
It is interesting that an Air Force plumber who served in Alaska and lived in Arizona from 1997 to 2000 pops up as a campaign prop for the McCain/Palin team. Perhaps he likes them because he's a Republican and he happened to serve at bases in their states. I served at an Army base in Georgia when Jimmy Carter was governor and followed his run for the presidency with quite some interest.
According to Lucas County, Ohio court records (link to Court, may be very busy), Joe has an unpaid income tax lien case pending. This may explain his animosity toward taxes.