Joel G. Colton

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Joel G. Colton
Personal details
Born	23 August 1918 New York City
Died	17 April 2011 Durham, North Carolina
Nativity	United States
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
ASN	0927250
Rank	Technician Third Grade
Camp Ritchie	Class 20 (19 June – 16 August 1944)
Section	7A

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Joel G. Colton (1918–2011) was a United States Army military intelligence officer who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 20 and crossed the Rhine at Remagen in March 1945.

Biography

Joel G. Colton was born on 23 August 1918 in New York City. Drafted in August 1942, he spent 1942–1944 in the continental United States administering intelligence and aptitude tests and rose from private to technician fourth grade (staff sergeant).

Colton took military intelligence training at the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, from June 1944 to January 1945 (Class 20); he was commissioned in October 1944. Overseas from January 1945, he crossed into the Remagen bridgehead in March 1945 with a Counter Intelligence Corps detachment of the 78th Infantry Division, then in April joined the CIC detachment of the 102d Infantry Division for occupation duty in Germany (including work around Gardelegen and Ohrdruf).

After the war Colton became a historian at Duke University and co-author of A History of the Modern World. He died on 17 April 2011 in Durham, North Carolina.

Research notes

• Also PG Class 2 CI
• 8/23/1918-

Gallery

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Technical record

Field	Imported value
Class_ASN	33194942
Class_Name	COLTON, Joel
match_method	pass2_unique_name
row_source	both

Timeline

• 23 August 1918 — Born in New York City.
• August 1942 — Drafted; continental U.S. service administering intelligence/aptitude tests.
• June 1944–January 1945 — Military intelligence training at Camp Ritchie (Class 20); commissioned October 1944.
• January 1945–June 1946 — Overseas service; Remagen bridgehead March 1945 (CIC, 78th Infantry Division); later CIC, 102d Infantry Division occupation.
• 1947 onward — Taught European history at Duke University.
• 17 April 2011 — Died in Durham, North Carolina.

Sources

• Duke Today: Joel Colton obituary (17 April 2011)
• Joel Colton, “Reminiscences of the War,” Army History (Fall 1995), derived from his memoir also published in Duke Magazine (July–August 1995) — Camp Ritchie MI training June 1944–January 1945; commissioned October 1944; Remagen bridgehead March 1945; CIC 102d Division occupation
• Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
• Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
• NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
• 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)