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Sumpter Quilla Porter Jr.

PVT in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Co D

ASN#14083654

Born 1919 in FL, Died 1995

County of residence at enlistment: Duval County, FL
United States Army, European Theatre of Operations
Occupation before the war: draftsmen
College education after the war: Univ. of Florida
Notes: T/5 in leave roster; final rank T/5
Source: Unit Shipment 10143-A, 23d HQ, from le Havre 23 June 1945; Roster provided by W. Anderson;  Pine Camp leave roster, 29 August 1945; Bernie Mason Company D Roster; signature on NAZI Banner at hmtcli.org; photo from FindAGrave

Sumpter "Quilla" Porter (he usually used his middle name) was born on October 23, 1919 in Palatka, FL. His father was manager of the Hellbronn Water Company, and he was the second of two children.

The family moved to Jacksonville, FL sometime before 1930, and Quilla graduated from high school there. He registered for the draft on July 1, 1941, indicating that he was working at the A&P warehouse in Jacksonville. A few months later, on October 14, 1941, he married June Marjorie Lawson.

By the time he enlisted, on September 24, 1942, he was working as a draftsman. He was assigned to the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion, and saw service in Europe with the Ghost Army.

His father, Sumpter Q. Porter, Sr., also saw service during the war; LTC Porter was stationed at Camp Crowder* in Missouri for four years, and served as CO of the 9th Regiment.

He was discharged from the Army on September 20, 1945 with the rank of T/5, and went back to Florida to pursue higher education under the GI Bill. He graduated from the University of Florida with a master's degree in building construction in 1951. By that time, he and Marjorie had started a family which eventually grew to four children: Barbara, Arleen, Bruce, and Terry.

In 1961 (and likely well before that) the family was living in Washington, DC and Quilla was working at the Pentagon as a civil engineer for the Department of Defense. They later lived in Alexandria, VA.

By 1976 Quilla had retired and he and Marjorie moved back to Florida, settling in Englewood. He died on December 19, 1995 in Englewood and is buried at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL.

*At 42,000 acres, Camp Crowder was one of the largest Army training centers in the country, and trained new Signal Corps recruits. They also housed the pigeon breeding and training center and 2,000 German POWs captured from Rommel's forces in North Africa. Beetle Bailey cartoonist Mort Walker was stationed there (using the camp as his model for the strip's Camp Swampy), as were actor Dick Van Dyke and actor/producer Carl Reiner.

Photo:

See Find a Grave record below

Sources:

1920 census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7214416:6061?tid=&pid=&queryId=25f4d91d75fd11e6b2c00e58deba3fc4&_phsrc=wGz9&_phstart=successSource

1941 draft card

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12465116:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=0546370ee9c784841dcffa35346bb4ce&_phsrc=dad1&_phstart=successSource

1941 marriage record

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/262460:61369?tid=&pid=&queryId=0546370ee9c784841dcffa35346bb4ce&_phsrc=dad2&_phstart=successSource

1942 enlistment record

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=320757&tid=&pid=&queryId=96b28dc6eddc530a91161eaa830550ed&usePUB=true&_phsrc=dad3&_phstart=successSource

1943 Camp Crowder class book

https://www.pinterest.com/gerrimerc/camp-crowder-veterans-no-1/

1951 article in Tampa Tribune (FL) re his receiving Master's degree

https://www.newspapers.com/image/327668329/?terms=quilla%20porter&match=1

1952 birth notice of son in Tampa Times (FL)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/326195604/?terms=sumpter%20q%20porter&match=1

1961 mother's obituary in The Index-Journal (Greenwood SC)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/70081238/?terms=sumpter%20porter&match=1

1995 Find a Grave record

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1088566/sumpter-quilla-porter

1995 VA death record

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9605267:2441?tid=&pid=&queryId=96b28dc6eddc530a91161eaa830550ed&_phsrc=dad4&_phstart=successSource

1995 obituary in Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)

https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A14C830FD699E7429%40GB3NEWS-17D85656F7C49422%402450073-17D851D7C0AE78AA%4033-17D851D7C0AE78AA%40?h=2&fname=sumpter%20q&lname=porter&fullname=&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc=&sid=fvqvdjlxfycuzoixjyjeujsezlpknuwe_wma-gateway015_1626645239938

Ancestry family tree information re education and occupation

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/171618830/person/322230632978/facts?_phsrc=dad6&_phstart=successSource

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