FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Herschel F. Briles ~ February 20, 2012

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Herschel F. Briles

Story from this website.

           

Herschel F. Briles (February 7, 1914 – July 17, 1994) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

Briles joined the Army from Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and by November 20, 1944 was serving as a Staff Sergeant in Company C, 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion. On that day, near Scherpenseel, Germany, he left cover to rescue the wounded crew of a burning tank destroyer and extinguish the vehicle's flames. The next day, he single-handedly forced the surrender of fifty-five German soldiers and again left cover to reach a burning tank destroyer, rescue its crew, and put out the flames. For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor ten months later, on September 10, 1945.

Briles reached the rank of first sergeant before leaving the Army.

He died at age 80 and was buried in Waveland Cemetery, Prairie City, Iowa.

Briles' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

    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 machinegun, 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.

Thank you sir, for your service and sacrifice for our country!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, AZ, and thanks for the red, white, and blue tribute.

Computer locked up just before posting and I didn’t get all the title re-entered. The Admin Mod to the rescue...yet again.

Did you get some rest time? *HUGS*

How is sonboy’s back? Are the meds still making him chatty?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Nana Hope, for today's Pledge…((HUGS)). Thanks, AfghanMan and Penguin Girl, for your service to America.

[ConorMacNessa]

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca, USMC, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, KIA Afghanistan 10Feb2012




I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)

Eternal Father, Strong to Save



Rest in Peace, fallen brother, rest in peace!
We who remain hold you in high honor.
Rest, fallen brother, in this sacred precinct;
We who remain keep this place sacred.
Rest, fallen brother, among these, your comrades;
We who remain keep the watch.
Rest, fallen brother, amid these who heeded the Nation’s call;
We who remain press the fight forward in your name.
Rest, fallen brother, lay down thy burden;
We who remain have taken up the torch.
Rest in Peace, fallen brother, rest in eternal peace!



Taps

Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, HiTech...the caption reads, “Sgt. Briles is buried next to his wife in the Waveland Cemetery, Prairie City, Iowa”.

Haven’t found anything else about her.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I take it this caption must be at the place the photo originally appeared. It isn’t on this thread. Color me ignorant of such things, but I had thought when a decorated troop is buried in a military graveyard with a spouse, both would be mentioned by name on the marker. Maybe it’s on the other side?

[Kathy in Alaska]

Aloha, Hawaii...((HUGS))...any little visitors? Sun? Fishing for dinner?

We had a sunny day, temps still hovering around freezing. I was really surprised that temps dropped to the low teens over night.

[ConorMacNessa]

In military cemeteries that I am familiar with, including ANC, the name of the spouse is typically inscribed on the reverse side of the headstone. Possibly the reference to his wife on the front of the headstone is because she predeceased him and was buried first.



Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[ConorMacNessa]

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!

HM/3 (FMF) Kyler L. Estrada, USN, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Died Djibouti 14Feb2012




I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)

Eternal Father, Strong to Save



Rest in Peace, fallen brother, rest in peace!
We who remain hold you in high honor.
Rest, fallen brother, in this sacred precinct;
We who remain keep this place sacred.
Rest, fallen brother, among these, your comrades;
We who remain keep the watch.
Rest, fallen brother, amid these who heeded the Nation’s call;
We who remain press the fight forward in your name.
Rest, fallen brother, lay down thy burden;
We who remain have taken up the torch.
Rest in Peace, fallen brother, rest in eternal peace!



Taps

Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[luvie]

God rest the souls of the fallen heroes! Thank you for reminding us of their sacrifice, Conor! (((hugs)))

[luvie]

Thanks, galz, for yet another story of a true American hero! So many...so little time!

[ConorMacNessa]

REST IN PEACE, FALLEN BROTHER!




Sr. Airman Ryan Tomlin, RAF, 2 Squadron, Royal Air Force Regiment, No. 3 RAF Force Protection Wing, KIA Afghanistan 13Feb2012






I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)

Flowers of the Forest



Black Watch Piper

The Soldier

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke



Last Post

Etiam non princeps sed usque ad genua, Principis Pacis!

[ConorMacNessa]

Welcome To All Who Enter This Canteen, To Our Serving Military, To Our Veterans, To All Military Families, To Our FRiends and To Our Allies!

Missing Man Setting

Never Forget Those Who Sacrificed All That We Could Live In Freedom!!

Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[BIGLOOK]

Honoring Our Fallen

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, Luv!

*HUGS*

They will live as long as we remember them and continue to chronicle the histories of their gallantry and patriotic service to our Nation!



Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Kathy in Alaska]

TAPS

RIP

HM/3 (FMF) Kyler L Estrada, USN
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit

Eternal Father Strong To Save - click

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Sand...((HUGS))...any muggings today?

Did MrsSR send a Nate report?

[Kathy in Alaska]

G’Day, Janey...((HUGS))...how are your “babies” doing?

Will they be released into the wild? Or stay where they are?

[luvie]

Amen! We have to be the ones to remember...our government is
getting more and more anti-military.

November can’t come too soon for me!

[Kathy in Alaska]

“Love” those Marines! Great pic.

[ConorMacNessa]

Good evening, my Brother-in-Arms! I hope all is well with you. I am going through a rough time physically, but the results of a myriad of tests suggest that I'm not in danger of giving up the ghost in the immediate future. The one thing all my battalion of physicians agree on is that I have to drop the tonnage - soon and on a large scale. Guess I'll go on the fish-heads and rice diet that worked so well for me in the 60's. Sad, but I'll have to comply.



Nos genuflectitur ad non princeps sed Princeps Pacem!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)