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First Name: Nelson

Last Name: Brittin

Birthplace: Audubon, NJ, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Home of Record: Audubon, NJ
Middle Name: Vogel



Date of Birth: 31 October 1920

Date of Death: 07 March 1951

Rank: Sergeant First Class

Years Served: 1942 - 1951
Nelson Vogel Brittin

   
Engagements:
•  Korean War (1950 - 1953)

Biography:

Nelson Vogel Brittin
Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor Recipient
Korean War

Nelson V. Brittin was born on 31 October 1920 to Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Brittin, Sr. of Audubon, NJ.

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

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.

Brittin was also awarded the Purple Heart.

Naming Honor

USNS Brittin (T-AKR-305) is a Bob Hope-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was built by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, New Orleans and delivered to the Navy on 30 January 2001. They assigned her to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Brittin is named for Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant First Class Nelson Vogel Brittin, and is one of 11 Surge LMSRs operated by a private company under contract to the Military Sealift Command. She is assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4.

Burial

Nelson V. Brittin is buried in Beverly National Cemetery in Beverly, NJ.



Honoree ID: 1133   Created by: MHOH

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