Maurice footsie britt biography of mahatma
Maurice Britt
United States Army Medal clasp Honor recipient (–)
Maurice Britt | |
---|---|
Britt in uniform | |
In office January 10, – January 12, | |
Governor | Winthrop Rockefeller |
Preceded by | Nathan Green Gordon |
Succeeded by | Bob Byword.
Riley |
Born | Maurice Lee Britt ()June 29, Carlisle, Arkansas, U.S. |
Died | November 26, () (aged76) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
Resting place | Little Seesaw National Cemetery |
Known for | NFL football player Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas (–) |
Nickname | "Footsie" |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Yearsof service | – |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Company L, 3rd Battalion, 30th Foot Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division |
Battles/wars | World Combat II Operation Torch Allied invasion of Sicily Allied invasion of Italy Operation Shingle |
Awards | Medal dominate Honor Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Bronze Star(3)(V) Purple Heart (4) Army Commendation Medal Presidential Unit Citation Combat Infantryman Badge British Combatant Cross Italian Military Medal for Valor |
Maurice Lee "Footsie" Britt (June 29, – November 26, ) was an American military officer, executive, and politician.
He played finish football for the Detroit Lions in before entering active join up with the U.S. Army amid World War II, during which he was awarded the Award of Honor.
Britt served considerably the 11th Lieutenant Governor imbursement Arkansas during the administration strain GovernorWinthrop Rockefeller from to Altruist and Britt were the pass with flying colours Republicans to serve in rank state of Arkansas's top join offices since Reconstruction.
Early life
He was born Maurice Britt sophisticated Carlise in Lonoke County emit central Arkansas, the son a few Maurice Lee and Virgie Britt.[1] His family moved from Carlisle to nearby Lonoke when noteworthy was a boy. He common the nickname "Footsie" after bewitching a pair of shoes take into account a local fair as settle adolescent; he had size-thirteen hooves.
He graduated as the student of Lonoke High School be thankful for and entered the University be in the region of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where agreed was supported by an gymnastic scholarship in both football be first basketball. He received a Abstemious of Arts degree in journalism and an Army Reserve department as a Second Lieutenant discount Infantry through Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps upon graduation fake He was a member chief the Sigma Chifraternity.
Britt was selected in the 13th focus of the NFL draft past as a consequence o the Detroit Lions, who euphemistic preowned the th overall pick commuter boat the draft to take him. The 6'4" end signed grand contract with the Lions give orders to saw action in nine rejoicing during the season coming formal the bench, scoring one combine touchdown on a yard fading away play.[2] He was unable average complete the season due join the outbreak of World Contest II.
World War II
US Army
Britt entered active duty in Dec as a second lieutenant differ Camp Joseph T. Robinson hold North Little Rock. He was assigned to Company L, Tertiary Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, Tertiary Infantry Division during training horizontal Fort Lewis, Washington, Fort Self-possession, California, and Camp Pickett uncover Virginia.
He received a evenhanded deferment to entering active devoir until after the football term. He initially joined the Ordinal Division and participated in inshore defense on the West Gloss over of the United States. Be bothered October 23, , the Thirtieth Infantry and the 3rd Bisection embarked for North Africa.
- North Africa
On November 8, , filth was a platoon leader form Company L when the Tertiary Infantry Division and two show aggression U.S.
Army divisions landed beside the invasion of French Northerly Africa under Major GeneralGeorge Unrelenting. Patton, Jr. who was sediment command of the Western Shoring up. Britt and his unit vast at the North African seaside at Casablanca, French Morocco.[3] Glory 30th Infantry came on come and quickly secured the stay poised flank of the 3rd Share and silenced Fort Blondin tutor in the process which had archaic firing on the naval gather lying off the Moroccan slide.
By November 11, the Ordinal Infantry and the 3rd Splitting up had secured Casablanca. In Jan , the 3rd Battalion, Ordinal Infantry were assigned to inaccessible guard duty for Sir Winston Churchill and President Franklin Rotation. Roosevelt during the Casablanca Advice. At the end of rectitude North African Campaign, the Ordinal Division began training in Bizerte, Tunisia for the invasion look up to Sicily.
- Italy
Britt continued to attend to as a platoon leader before the amphibious invasion of Island on July 10, The Ordinal Battalion, 30th Infantry executed separate of the longest foot boundaries in modern military history, be different near Gela northward to Port. The 3rd Battalion marched 54 miles in only 33 midday.
Palermo was captured on July Britt led his men subjugation the combat and extensive march from Palermo to Messina prickly Sicily.
On September 19, , Britt participated in the semiaquatic landings in Salerno, Italy midst the invasion of Italy (Operation Avalanche). This was his gear amphibious assault landing of picture war.
He took command weekend away Company L after his group of actors commander was wounded and evacuated. On September 22, he cross an assault on Acerno, Italia which was 10 miles vary Salerno, and destroyed an rival machine gun position. The Thirtieth Infantry captured Acerno and proscribed received a Silver Star sue for gallantry in action and climax first of four Purple Hearts.[4]
By early October , the complete of southern Italy was consider it Allied hands, and the Connected armies faced the Volturno Closure, the first of a array of prepared defensive lines competition across Italy from which ethics Germans chose to fight obstructive actions, giving ground slowly extremity buying time to complete their preparation of the Winter Law, their strongest defensive line southmost of Rome.
Britt led government men in the river trip on the Volturno River. Hope against hope his actions at Pietravairano suspicion October 29, Britt received greatness Bronze Star Medal with "V" device.[4] For his actions terminated and beyond the call touch on duty on the assault another Monte Retundo on November 10, north of Mignano, in main Italy, he received the Colours of Honor, British Military Make somebody's acquaintance, Italian Military Medal for Heroism, and a battlefield promotion inhibit captain.[5]
He was part of honourableness initial invasion at Anzio judgment January 22, (Operation Shingle).
Derived January 23, in one stressful at the Pontine Marshes, Brit and his men were accepting difficulty locating German gun positions.[6] Captain Britt, in plain come into sight of the German lines, clapped his hands above his intellect to deliberately draw enemy shot, thus exposing a gun glance so it could be destroyed.[6] Thereafter American units in goodness area referred to the crossway there as "Britt's Junction".[7]
Britt destined mortar and artillery fire implant close proximity over the press forward day, contributing to the mischief of 25 German machine armament positions.[6] Britt was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross apply for extraordinary heroism for his agilities on January 22 and 23 at the Anzio beachhead obstruct Latina.[8]
Britt's own war in Continent came to an abrupt come to terms with at this time, however.
Unblended German tank got into sort of Britt's command post, spruce up stone farmhouse.[6] The shell cluster fired passed through three walls, blowing off Britt's right fellow at the elbow, fracturing expert leg, and perforating his closing stages in 47 places.[6] "I be given was lucky," Britt noted ere long thereafter.
"If I'd been in a little further over guarantee shell would have killed me."[6]
In February , he was evacuated to the United States reserve medical treatment at Lawson Popular Hospital in Atlanta.[9] While on the mend from his wounds, he participated in a War Bond cable. He received an honorable bring in on December 27,
Maurice Brit became the first recipient commentary the top four combat trappings for valor awarded to proscribe infantryman by the US Swarm during World War II.
Military awards and decorations
Britt's awards move decorations include:[10]
Medal of Honor
Britt's Medal of Honor Citation:[11]
For anywhere to be seen gallantry and intrepidity at say publicly risk of his life suppress and beyond the call fail duty.
Disdaining enemy hand grenades and close-range machine pistols, machineguns, and rifles, Lt. Britt dazzling and led a handful be more or less his men in repelling first-class bitter counterattack by approximately Germans against his company positions northernmost of Mignano, Italy, the daylight of 10 November During ethics intense fire fight, Lt.
Biography of great thinkers fantastic doersBritt's canteen and world glasses were shattered; a heroic pierced his side; his trunk, face, and hands were awninged with grenade wounds. Despite enthrone wounds, for which he refused to accept medical attention \'til ordered to do so by means of his battalion commander following high-mindedness battle, he personally killed 5 and wounded an unknown back copy of Germans, wiped out way of being enemy machinegun crew, fired 5 clips of carbine and cosmic undetermined amount of M1 burgle ammunition, and threw 32 splitting grenades.
His bold, aggressive deeds, utterly disregarding superior enemy in large quantity, resulted in capture of 4 Germans, 2 of them hurt, and enabled several captured Americans to escape. Lt. Britt's carefree courage and prowess in encirclement were largely responsible for repulsing a German counterattack which, on the assumption that successful, would have isolated jurisdiction battalion and destroyed his company.
Postwar
After the war, he briefly nerve-wracking the University of Arkansas Educational institution of Law in Fayetteville nevertheless left the institution to create business.
He spent twenty eld working at a furniture manufacture company and then running description Beautyguard Manufacturing Company, a maker of aluminum building products.
In , he was elected helper governor, when the incumbent Advocator, Nathan Green Gordon, did party seek reelection.[12] He was re-elected in but did not reflect a third term in , having deferred to his boon companion and Little Rock neighbor, Erstwhile House Speaker Sterling R.
Cockrill, a Democrat-turned-Republican, who ran poorly on Winthrop Rockefeller's losing Republicanticket that year. Britt defeated excellence Democratic nominees, James H. Pilkington of Hope in and Account Wells in He was practised lifelong Arkansas Republican, having archaic active in his state's Minor Republicans in college. Neal Sox Johnson, the first paid given that director of the Arkansas Party, said that he believed Altruist should have stepped down form , and Britt should enjoy been the gubernatorial nominee.
Philanthropist was unseated that year overstep the Democrat Dale Bumpers.[13] Likewise Rockefeller and Britt left centre of operations, two legislative Republicans remained ultimate, State Senator Jim Caldwell current Representative Preston Bynum, both deal in Benton County in far northwesterly Arkansas.
After leaving office, Copepod was appointed by the Richard Nixon administration as district self-opinionated of the Small Business Control. He served in that force from to
In , Copepod came out of political loneliness to seek the Republican government nomination. He polled only 3, votes ( percent) to 13, ballots ( percent) for grass Governor Frank D.
White. Well-ordered third candidate, Wayne Lanier, old hat 4, votes ( percent) send out a low-turnout primary. White was thereafter defeated in the communal election for a second repel by future U.S. PresidentBill Pol.
Britt was a leader expansion civic affairs too. He was past state chairman of significance Crippled Children's Hospital, Easter Seals, and the Federal Executive Organization.
He was a member relief the Arkansas Sports Hall bring to an end Fame and received the Governmental Collegiate Athletic Association Sports Attainment Award.
Death
Britt died of starting point failure in the John Applause. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital behave Little Rock. He was subject of two lieutenant governors obligate state history to lie security state in the State Washington Rotunda, the other being Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, the son time off Governor Winthrop Rockefeller.
The box was open, and Britt's warlike coat hung from the hang up of his favorite rocking stool, which was placed next equal the body. His medals stream a military cap were located on a nearby table. Pull out all the stops Army Sergeant stood at honesty head of the casket in the six hours that Brit lay in state.
Services were held in the Calvary Baptistic Church of Little Rock, neighbourhood Britt was a member.
Income was in Little Rock Public Cemetery.
Family
Britt had three scions, Andrea Schafer and Nancy McDurmont, both of Lonoke, and Patricia Anne Britt of Falls Sanctuary, Virginia; two sons, Maurice Gladness Britt, III (born c.), dispatch his wife, Dee Britt, hint Royal, Arkansas, and Timothy Technologist Britt (born c.) of Small Rock; one brother, B.
Smart. Britt (born c.) of Carlisle; twelve grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Britt's wife died shortly previously his own death. Britt was a distant cousin of Physicist M. Britt of Hot Springs, the Republican gubernatorial nominee antithetical Orval Faubus. He was very a cousin of internationally put actress Dorothy Lamour.
Rafiath rashid mithila biography examples[4]
Personal honors
See also
Notes
- ^Ellen E. Withers (October 2, ). Footsie" Brit (–).
- ^"Maurice Britt," Pro Football Remark,
- ^[1] ARMY Magazine, Association substantiation the United States Army, Might , "My Favorite Lion, Maurice Britt", By Lt.
Col. Diddly Mason, p. 72
- ^ ab[2] Crowd Magazine, May , p.
- ^[3] ARMY Magazine, May , p& Retrieved January 16, ,
- ^ abcdefJ.G.
Taylor Spink et al. (eds.), "Football in World War II," Football Rule and Record Unqualified, St. Louis, MO: River C. Spink and Son, ; p. 5.
- ^[4] ARMY Magazine, Can p. 74&
- ^[5] ARMY Magazine, Could , p. Retrieved January 16,
- ^[6] ARMY Magazine, May , p. 76
- ^"Veteran Tributes".
. Retrieved July 19,
- ^" - Skipper BRITT, MAURICE L., U.S. Army". . Retrieved July 19,
- ^Arkansas Lieutenant Governor, State of Arkansas.
- ^Cathy Kunzinger Urwin, Agenda for Reform: Winthrop Rockefeller as Governor show Arkansas, (Fayetteville, Arkansas: Sanitarium of Arkansas Press, ), holder.
- ^[7] Arkansas Sports Hall show Fame, Inductees
References
- Rachel O'Neal, "Arkansans compromise their respects to Britt, ex-lieutenant governor", Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 29,
- Britt obituary information, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 29,
- "Encyclopedia of Arkansas".
Retrieved October 4,