Nelson V. Brittin
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| Nelson V. Brittin | |
|---|---|
| October 31, 1920 – March 7, 1951 (aged 30) | |
 Medal of Honor recipient |
|
| Place of birth | Audubon, New Jersey |
| Place of death | Vicinity of Yonggong-ni, Korea |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Rank | Sergeant First Class |
| Unit | Company I, 19th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Nelson V. Brittin (October 31, 1920 – March 7, 1951) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on February 1, 1952.
Brittin is buried in Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, New Jersey.
Contents |
[edit] Awards and decorations
Britton's awards include:
[edit] Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Sergeant First Class
U.S. Army, Company I, 19th Infantry Regiment
Place and date: Vicinity of Yonggong-ni, Korea, 7 March 1951
Entered service at: Audubon, N.J. Birth: Audubon, N.J.
G.O. No.: 12, 1 February 1952.
Citation:
- Sfc. Brittin, a member of Company I, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. Volunteering to lead his squad up a hill, with meager cover against murderous fire from the enemy, he ordered his squad to give him support and, in the face of withering fire and bursting shells, he tossed a grenade at the nearest enemy position. On returning to his squad, he was knocked down and wounded by an enemy grenade. Refusing medical attention, he replenished his supply of grenades and returned, hurling grenades into hostile positions and shooting the enemy as they fled. When his weapon jammed, he leaped without hesitation into a foxhole and killed the occupants with his bayonet and the butt of his rifle. He continued to wipe out foxholes and, noting that his squad had been pinned down, he rushed to the rear of a machine gun position, threw a grenade into the nest, and ran around to its front, where he killed all 3 occupants with his rifle. Less than 100 yards up the hill, his squad again came under vicious fire from another camouflaged, sandbagged, machine gun nest well-flanked by supporting riflemen. Sfc. Brittin again charged this new position in an aggressive endeavor to silence this remaining obstacle and ran direct into a burst of automatic fire which killed him instantly. In his sustained and driving action, he had killed 20 enemy soldiers and destroyed 4 automatic weapons. The conspicuous courage, consummate valor, and noble self-sacrifice displayed by Sfc. Brittin enabled his inspired company to attain its objective and reflect the highest glory on himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- "NELSON V. BRITTIN" entry. Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War. Center of Military History (CMH), United States Army (July 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
