US Army Quartermaster Corps

HONORS

The Quartermaster Hall of Fame award is the highest form of recognition the Corps offers. This much coveted award honors individuals who are judged to have made the most significant contributions to the overall history and traditions of the Quartermaster Corps.

CPL Benjamin Berry
Class of 2022

Corporal Benjamin Berry was drafted in the US Army on July 27, 1943. He attended basic training at Fort Wayne, Indiana. After 6 months, Corporal Berry reported to Fort Dix, New Jersey to board a ship and sail to England. Upon his arrival to England, he was assigned to 863rd Quartermaster Fumigation & Bath Company (originally Company A, 310th Quartermaster Sterilization and Bath Company). From London, he boarded a carrier that transported his unit to Normandy, France. He landed on Normandy Beach, France twenty-two days after D-Day, June 6, 1944, when Allied Forces invaded France. Corporal Berry’s unit followed the Infantry units across Europe and in December of 1944 was encamped in the Ardennes Forest when the Allies and German forces fought in the Battle of the Bulge during the coldest winter on record. When the war ended in 1945 the 863rd was reassigned in Pilsner, Czechoslovak. The Army allowed the unit to return to the United States for about 30 days. At the conclusion of the 30 days, Corporal Berry and the 863rd Quartermaster Fumigation & Bath Company loaded ships with orders to Japan to support yet another war. The unit was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when the War in Japan ended. Shortly after he was discharged, Corporal Berry married Lois Miller Graves and the couple raised four children in Germantown, Pennsylvania. On June 29, 2021, Ambassador Gaston Stronck, bestowed, on behalf of His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri, The Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Corporal Berry, recognizing his service during World War II. Corporal Berry will be celebrating his 100th birthday on September 21, 2023. Corporal Berry currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.