He volunteered for parachutist duty and, after completion of jump school at Ft. Benning, GA, Quinton was assigned to the Regimental Headquarters (HQ HQ) Company of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
After the regiment conducted 8 months of advanced training at Camp Mackall, NC, Quinton and more than 2,000 others boarded the USAT James Parker in New York City harbor. The ship set sail on December 28, 1943 bound for Belfast, Ireland.
Following three months of field exercises, the unit moved to Nottingham, England where it would await its part in the invasion of Europe.
Late in the evening of June 5, 1944 the 508th took off from Folkingham and Saltby Airfields and it was about 2:00 in the morning when the regiment leaped into the skies over Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Quinton was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his contributions in Normandy and apparently stayed with the unit during Operation Market-Garden in Holland as well as during the Battle of The Bulge.
His awards included not only the Bronze Star but also the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) and the Good Conduct Medal as well as the American Defense Medal and the Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star device for each of the campaigns he participated in. He also received a Bronze Service Arrowhead Device for his participation in Operation Neptune in Normandy.
He volunteered for parachutist duty and, after completion of jump school at Ft. Benning, GA, Quinton was assigned to the Regimental Headquarters (HQ HQ) Company of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
After the regiment conducted 8 months of advanced training at Camp Mackall, NC, Quinton and more than 2,000 others boarded the USAT James Parker in New York City harbor. The ship set sail on December 28, 1943 bound for Belfast, Ireland.
Following three months of field exercises, the unit moved to Nottingham, England where it would await its part in the invasion of Europe.
Late in the evening of June 5, 1944 the 508th took off from Folkingham and Saltby Airfields and it was about 2:00 in the morning when the regiment leaped into the skies over Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Quinton was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his contributions in Normandy and apparently stayed with the unit during Operation Market-Garden in Holland as well as during the Battle of The Bulge.
His awards included not only the Bronze Star but also the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) and the Good Conduct Medal as well as the American Defense Medal and the Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star device for each of the campaigns he participated in. He also received a Bronze Service Arrowhead Device for his participation in Operation Neptune in Normandy.
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