US Army 102nd Infantry Division arched Ozark's patch worn by a soldier

http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn42331-irn43395 an entity of type: Record

rico:history

David C. Porter (1926-2010) was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He was the second of seven children born to Mary C. and William J. Porter. His parents were both born in Pennsylvania, and married in 1921. William worked as an iron clerk, and Mary was a secretary at a construction company. Soon after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II. In spring 1944, David completed high school. On September 11, he enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to the 102nd Combat Infantry Division, nicknamed the Ozarks Division. He was deployed to Germany in February 1945 and advanced with his unit through central Europe to the Rhineland and then toward Berlin. David rose to the position of mortar crew chief for Company A, 26th Infantry Regiment. On April 15, the Division was placed on patrol along the Elbe River. On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered. The 102nd was placed on occupational duty in Gotha, Germany. In August 1945, the United Nations War Crimes Commission authorized a military tribunal to be convened by eighteen Allied Nations, and conducted by the four major powers, the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in Nuremberg, Germany. The purpose of the International Military Tribunal was to seek justice for crimes against humanity, evidenced by the Holocaust, perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Twenty-four defendants were indicted in October 1945 for the first trial, the Major German War Criminals trial. There were four counts: crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit these crimes. The trial began on November 20, 1945. The verdicts were delivered on October 1, 1946: twelve defendants were sentenced to death; three to life imprisonment; four to prison terms ranging from 10-20 years; three were acquitted. The 1st Infantry was assigned the task of guarding the defendants. There were three types of guards: Special, Regular and Prison. Initially, David was responsible for guarding defendants in their cells. Cell guards were equipped with white helmet liners and nightsticks. David received his promotion to Sergeant on September 5. In late December, David was promoted to Special escort and court guard and was assigned to stand guard behind the prisoners in the courtroom in the Palace of Justice. Other duties included escorting the defendants to and from their cells in the morning and evening, and transporting evidence. The guards supervised the lunches, where the defendants were separated into four groups of five, with Goring eating alone. In early July 1946, David returned to the US and was honorably discharged on July 29. David returned to Pennsylvania and worked as a comptroller at a manufacturing company. He married Violet Andrews and the couple had one child. David regularly presented lectures about his experiences as a guard during the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials.

The patch was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011 by Ethel P. Kemmerer, the sister of David C. Porter and executor of his Estate.

rico:identifier

irn43395

rico:title

US Army 102nd Infantry Division arched Ozark's patch worn by a soldier

rico:recordResourceExtent

overall: Height: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Width: 2.625 inches (6.668 cm)

rico:scopeAndContent

102nd Infantry Division, Ozark's badge, worn by 19 year old David C. Porter while a soldier in the US Army in Germany from February 1945 to July 1946. David deployed in February 1945 joining the 102nd Infantry in combat in Germany. By the end of the war in May, David was a mortar crew chief for Company A, 26th Infantry Regiment. David and others of the 102nd were selected to serve as guards for the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. David was assigned to guard prisoners during the Trial of Major German War Criminals. He guarded defendants in their cells and then was assigned to stand guard in the courtroom during the proceedings. David returned to the US and was honorably discharged in July 1946. The trial lasted from November 1945 to August 1946. Verdicts were delivered on October 1, 1946: twelve defendants were sentenced to death; three to life imprisonment; four to prison terms ranging from 10-20 years; three were acquitted.

rico:conditionsOfAccess

No restrictions on access

rico:conditionsOfUse

No restrictions on use

ehri:physicalCharacterisiticsAndTechnicalRequirements

Arched military patch with the word OZARK’S satin stitched in yellow thread across blue cloth. The cloth wraps around a thin, flexible support. On the back, a strip of the same cloth is handstitched with black thread across the center.

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