Pictured above is a photo of the 83rd Chemical Battalion.
On September 21, 1942 Clifton enlisted in the army at Camp Shelby military base located in Hattiesburg. Clifton was only twenty two years old.
Less than one month later, on October 14, 1942, he was transferred to Camp Gordon, a military base in Richmond County, Georgia. The base had been approved for reconstruction by the U.S. War Department only one year prior to Clifton’s enlistment.
In January 1943, he was stationed in Huntsville at Redstone Arsenal. This base served as a chemical weapons plant. He became a Sergeant of the 2nd Platoon of the 83rd Chemical Battalion, Motorized.
He spent more time in Huntsville at the Station Hospital from January 1 to January 10, 1943. The accident that landed him here was most likely the reason behind his Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster.