Pictured above is the patch of the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion that was worn on the shoulders of their uniforms .
Clifton became a member of 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized during his time in Huntsville, Alabama.
This unit activated on June 10, 1942.
The members of this unit were trained at Camp Gordon, Georgia for approximately ten months. Their training began on the day of the unit’s activation and continued until April 19, 1943.
Clifton arrived with his battalion in the North African area on May 11, 1943. Over the course of its time in Europe during World War II, the 83rd Chemical Battalion spent a total of 508 days in combat and its members earned almost nine hundred Purple Hearts. Clifton was one of these members. He was awarded a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster. This signifies that he was wounded in a battle as a member of that unit prior to his death.