PFC Nelson was a member of A Battery in the 364th Field Artillery Battalion. He was with the 76th from Camp McCoy until the unit's deactivation in Germany in August of 1945. Nelson was then transferred to the 83rd Infantry Division for occupation duties. Many of these veterans who arrived later in the war (Post January 1945) simply didn't have the points to return home.
Sadly, all of Nelson's files were destroyed in the 1973 National Archives Fire. Fortunately, Nelson recorded all of his information in his service dress hat. This uniform group is 100% original as found. Note the rarer 83rd Infantry Division OD bordered patch variation, which is a must have for patch collectors. This one is staying put though however! Nelson was also a member of the 76th Division Association and his name can be found in the 1992 Association Directory.
PFC Nelson passed away in 1995. Artillerymen are often overlooked in WWII, however, they inflicted much more damage to the enemy than any infantryman and saved countless infantryman's lives with their precisely placed "Steel Rain". A Photo of A Battery 364th is below.
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