Joseph O. Toppin

Colonel Joseph D. Toppin received his commission 21 November 1944 upon graduation from Officer Candidate School, Class #361, at Fort Benning, Georgia. From 1943 through 1945 he was a Heavy Weapons Platoon Leader at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before reverting to reserve status for one year. | In 1947 he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant after reentry into active duty and completion of active duty training and the Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning. In 1948 he was a Heavy Weapons Platoon Leader, this time in Ritzingen, Germany. The following year he was the Commanding Officer of a Heavy Weapons Company with the US Constabular, European Command. Colonel Toppin then served as Assistant Battalion S3 in 1951 for the 40th Infantry Division (Korea). | He spent 1957 attending the European Command International School and as an instructor at the Seventh Army’s NCO Academy in Germany. As a captain he continued his military education in 1953 when he attended the Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course at Fort Benning. After leaving Fort Benning he became Battalion S3 in the 40th Infantry Division in Korea, before being transferred to the duty of Intelligence Supervisor with the G2 Advisory Group in II Corps in Korea. | In 1955 he moved back to the United States and was assigned to the S3’s Office of the 253d Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The next two years he acted as Executive Officer to the Commanding Officer for the same unit. Colonel Toppin then attended Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth in 1957. At Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he served both as Assistant G3 and Battalion Executive Officer and was simultaneously promoted to the rank of major.  From 1959 to 1962 he was first Battalion S3 and Operations Officer and later Director for Plans and Training with the United States Army Post Area Command, France. | In 1962 Colonel Toppin was moved to Headquarters, First Army, at Governors Island, New York, and served in various positions in the G3 Section. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1 963. | He returned to Korea in 1965 as a battalion commander with the 7th Infantry Division, and was then assigned to Headquarters, CONARC, Fort Monroe, Virginia. | Being promoted to colonel on 16 December 1969 he received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Management from Hampton Institute. Since then Colonel Toppin has been Director of Plans and Operations, Headquarters, United States Army RyuKentuckyu Islands, USARPAC (Okinawa). | Colonel Toppin’s decorations and awards include the Army Commendation Medal, w/ Oak Leaf Cluster, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Order of Military Merit, and the Rank of Knight in the Republic of France.