The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to
*BRITTIN, NELSON V.
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 machinegun 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, machinegun 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.
|
