"He was leading a platoon of destroyers across an exposed slope near Scherpenseel, Germany, on 20 November 1944, when they came under heavy
enemy artillery
fire. A direct hit was scored on 1 of the vehicles, killing 1 man,
seriously wounding 2 others, and setting the destroyer afire. With a
comrade, S/Sgt. Briles left the cover of his own armor and raced across
ground raked by artillery and small-arms fire to the rescue of the men
in the shattered destroyer. Without hesitation, he lowered himself into
the burning turret, removed the wounded and then extinguished the fire.
From a position he assumed the next morning, he observed hostile
infantrymen advancing. With his machine gun, he poured such deadly fire
into the enemy ranks that an entire pocket of 55 Germans surrendered,
clearing the way for a junction between American units which had been
held up for 2 days. Later that day, when another of his destroyers was
hit by a concealed enemy tank, he again left protection to give
assistance. With the help of another soldier, he evacuated two wounded
under heavy fire and, returning to the burning vehicle, braved death
from exploding ammunition to put out the flames. By his heroic
initiative and complete disregard for personal safety, S/Sgt. Briles was
largely responsible for causing heavy enemy casualties, forcing the
surrender of 55 Germans, making possible the salvage of our vehicles,
and saving the lives of wounded comrades."
From S/Sgt. Herschel F. Briles' Medal of Honor citation, awarded September 10, 1945.
Thank you for your service and may you be at peace,
Brian
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