Pershing Johnnson, Davenport, Iowa
Mr. Johnson was a sergeant with the 9th Armored Division, 16th Field Artillery Battalion, Headquarters Battery. In March and April of 1945, he was with the advancing army that swept through Germany. They captured or drove back the German SS and Wehrmacht, and led in the liberation of a number of concentration camps and slave labor camps, including Buchenwald and Dachau. He and his fellow soldiers had to move on quickly, chasing the retreating Nazis, but certain infantry divisions were left behind to bring order out of chaos. They did what they could to help the huge numbers of emaciated former prisoners. They provided food to as many as 300 a day, and medicine to fight infections. Mr. Johnson, your compassionate efforts will always be remembered.