Colonel Talton W. Long was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School, 21 July 1942, class number 38. His first duty assignment was as Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer, 2d Battalion, 505th PIR, Fort Benning, Georgia & Fort Bragg, North Carolina. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Company Commander, 2d Battalion, 505th PIR, European Theater of Operations, Company E, Parachute Assault, Sicily, Company Commander, Co E, Parachute Assault Salerno, Italy; Company Regiment Headquarters Co, Parachute, Assault, Normandy; Battalion Executive Officer, 505th PIR, European Theater of Operations; Battalion Commander, 505th PIR, European Theater of Operations; Battalion Commander, 1st Bn, 505th Parachute Assault, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Regiment Executive Officer, 505th PIR, European Theater of Operations; Battalion Commander, 505th PIR, European Theater of Operations and Fort Bragg, North Carolina; G-1 82d Abn Div, Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Dep Dir, Abn Dept, USAIS, Fort Benning, Georgia; Staff Officer and Executive Officer, Org & Tng Div, Headquarters Allied Forces Sou Europe, Naples, Italy; Operations and Training Staff Officer and Executive Officer, Joint Tng Div, G-3, OCAFF, CONARC, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Staff Officer and Chief, Avn & Abn Mat Dev Sec. CONARC, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Group Commander, 502d Inf, 1st Abn Battle Group, Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Sr. Advisor, 7th ORC Div, KMAG, USARPAC, Korea; Chief, ODCSOPS, Intn’l Stdzn & CD Plans Div, Washington, D.C.; The Executive, OD.C.SPOS, Washington, D.C.; Dir, Abn-AM Dept, USAIS, Fort Benning, Georgia; Dep Assistant Commandant, USAIS, Fort Benning, Georgia. | His awards and decorations include: Silver Star; Bronze Star (w/2 Oak Leaf Cluster); Purple Heart (w/Oak Leaf Cluster); Army Commendation Medal; Dis Unit Emblem; Amer Def Svc Medal; Amer Campgn Svc Medal; EAME Campgn Svc Medal; World War II Victory Medal; AOM (Germany); Natl Def Svc Medal; Bronze Lion (Neth); Orange Lanyard (Mil Order of Wilhelm, Neth); French Fourragere; Belgium Fourragere; Combat Inf Badge; Master Para Badge; DA General Staff Identification Badge.