us-005578-irn43875-irn47238
type: RecordSet
archival history: The badge was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2011 by John J. Truty.
biographical history: John Joseph Truty was born on November 17, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois. He had a brother and a sister and was the second child born to Joseph and Agnes Masnica Truty. His parents were born in Austria-Hungary (later Poland) and immigrated to the United States. His father did not speak much English and John knew Polish. Joseph was a gardener at a cemetery and Agnes was an assistant at a laundry. John graduated from Shurrs High School and worked in the neighborhood for the electric company and the laundry. On April 4, 1941, John was drafted into the US Army. On December 11, 1941, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States, and later the same day, the US declared war on Germany. In fall 1942, John was assigned to the recently activated IV Armored Corps. He worked on the construction of the Desert Training Center in Indio, California, and then trained there for several months. John became a medic. In October 1943, John’s unit was redesignated the XX (20th) Corps, under the command of General Walker. On February 12, 1944, the Corps boarded the Queen Mary, a troop transport ship, in New York City and sailed for England where they resumed training in Marlborough. On June 6, 1944, D-Day, Allied Forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of German occupied France. John arrived with the XX Corps twenty days later. As he recalled later, they had to wait a while until there was room to land. Around them he could see ship noses sticking up out of the water. The Corps was assigned to the US Third Army under General Patton, and as a medic, John tended men from many divisions. By the end of August, the Corps’ had advanced across France, earning the nickname the Ghost Corps for the speed at which they moved. In November, the Corps captured Metz, France. In several towns in France. John saw crowds gather to watch French women accused of collaboration have their heads shaved. In late March-early April 1945, John crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon boat into Germany. John care…
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Dark blue felt patch with a pointed top, straight sides and a curved bottom. There are 3 machine embroidered, olive drab chevrons at the top with an olive drab T centered below. The edges are frayed and worn.
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: after 1942 September-1945
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn47238
is or was included in: us-005578-irn43875
record resource extent: overall: Height: 4.625 inches (11.748 cm) | Width: 3.000 inches (7.62 cm)
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: US Army Technician 4th class shoulder sleeve insignia worn by John J. Truty, a medic and Surgical Technician in the 20th Corps (Ghost Corps), Third Army, from April 1941-September 1945. John, 24, landed in Normandy around June 24, 1944, twenty days after D-Day. He cared for troops from many divisions behind the front lines as they fought across France and into Germany, the Austria. On April 11th, 1945, units of the Third Army liberated Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany. John and his captain visited the camp a few days later to witness the horrific conditions. He took photographs of what he saw which are part of this collection, 2011.410.1. John was on occupation duty in Austria after VE Day on May 8, 1945, and returned to the US in September.
title: US Army Technician 4th class shoulder sleeve insignia worn by medic, 20th Corps