FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Herschel Briles ~ 20 November 2017

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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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!

[luvie]

We’re trying to be as gentle as possible with her. But sweat was just pouring off hubby’s face and he had to lie flat on the floor for a few minutes to get his breath and to help his back. Not good! He’s a pretty strong individual, too!

She seems brighter today than yesterday, so maybe she is feeling more relaxed in the hands of ineptness, but full of love. :)

[Kathy in Alaska]

They call the Iditarod 1049 miles....49th state, ya know.

It’s official1y just under 1000.

[PROCON]

What the heck is a cola roast?

[Publius]

My father hated turkey, so Thanksgiving was the only time we ate it, and he ate it under protest.

As a single person, I put together a pasta and clam dish in a garlic and olive oil base that works just fine. Knock back a bottle of white wine, and Thanksgiving is a hit.

Because I tossed football out of my life in 1981, I have opera DVDs and my Thanksgiving classical piece, the Second Symphony of the American composer Charles Ives, which I've often posted at FR on Thanksgiving with a commentary on what Ives was attempting to accomplish. It's made up of snippets of hymns, college tunes and patriotic songs, but he ties it all together in the form of a traditional romantic symphony in the style of Brahms and Dvorak, even quoting a bit of Brahms in the process.

[radu]

Whew, just reading that makes my heart skip a beat. We certainly don’t want him winding up in the hospital. Y’all are in my prayers.

Nice to hear she feels a bit better today. Being away from the medical environment and with loving family has got to be a boost for her morale.

The nurse said they managed to get Clara up in her wheelchair to eat lunch in the dining room twice this week. The rest of the week, she’s stayed in bed and slept the majority of the time.

[luvie]

Just saw this on Facebook today and totally cracked up! I had to share it with you!

[radu]

LOL! Cola roast is one if the easiest things to slap together and melts in your mouth.

Get a tougher cut of meat (I use chuck roast), put it in a casserole dish, sprinkle a package of Lipton onion soup mix over it, pour 12 ounces of Coke over it, and seal the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put it in the oven at 300 degrees and let it roast for an hour per pound. I usually let it go for an extra 30 to 45 minutes so it’s really tender. No knife required.

The Coke tenderizes the meat while it’s cooking and the combination of that, the soup, and the juice from the meat make a tasty “au jus”. I suppose it could be thickened into a gravy but we don’t do that.

[luvie]

Mmmmm....that pasta dish sounds way better than turkey any day! We go to a cafeteria because there are just the two of us so what’s the point in cooking? I get turkey/dressing, etc, just because and hubby gets off the wall stuff like liver and onions. Your pasta has that beat all to heck!

Then listen to some smooth jazz because it’s MY thang. We probably won’t go out this year unless my MIL feels comfortable getting out with portable oxygen.

Anyway....all that to say, it sounds delish and I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Looks like some fancy fare, but a nice setting.

Glad you enjoyed...a nice thank you.

Did you save a bite for Penny?

[PROCON]

Yum, sounds delish!

I'm learning similar good crock pot recipes for the cold winter months.

[luvie]

That’s great that she seems to be improving a bit! It’s always good to get away from the usual 4 walls!

At least to me.

[radu]

Growing up, Thanksgiving was the only time we had turkey, too, though we all liked it. Mom just didn’t want to mess with it more than once a year. LOL

Your pasta dish sounds yummy. I went the Italian route since I love Italian food. Hubby isn’t so hot on it so I go the ham or roast route for Thanksgiving nowadays.

No plans here other than eating. Hubby isn’t into holidays ... they’re just another day to him. I’ll most likely do what I’ve done for years ..... bring down Christmas decorations and start gussying up the house for the holiday. Of course, everything is UP to keep it out of reach of kitty paws. ROTFL

[radu]

It IS delish. And so simple. It’s what I make whenever we have company for supper, which isn’t all that often but it’s always a hit.

It could be done in a crock pot, too, I’d say. I just slap it in the oven.

[radu]

Oh, and WOOHOO! Ya snagged it!

[radu]

Oh, it isn’t improvement. They used to be able to get her up more often.

I haven’t visited with her much the past few months because she’s usually asleep. No point in waking her because she’s totally out of it for at least a half hour after waking up. Can’t even talk because she’s at such a loss for words.

She’s winding down. Just a month away from her 101st birthday.

[radu]

ROTFL! Too funny. Kitteh in the pic doesn’t seem to think so though.

[PROCON]

I snagged a #50...finally??

[luvie]

Bless her heart. She’s had a good long life. Such a shame that this last part is lost in a haze.

Dulcie, on the other hand, never misses anything! She can’t hear me, and she doesn’t speak clearly right now, but she notices everything! And knows to the penny how much money she has in the bank. LOL!

[luvie]

No, he looks like they played a bad joke on him...and ruined his Christmas! LOL!

[PROCON]

Fading out, see ya soon!