Sereno Elmer Brett (October 31, 1891 – September 9, 1952) was a highly decorated

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who fought in both

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and played a key, if little recognized today, role in the development of

armored warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

along with the creation of the U.S. Interstate Highway. He was also a lifelong friend of U.S. President, and former army colleague,

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

Early life and military career

Brett was born on October 31, 1891, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, as a son of James Brett, and Clara Marie de Lille Harvey. Brett enrolled at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering c ...

and earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

at the Agricultural faculty in 1916. After his graduation, Brett entered the

and, after attending a training course for

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch of the

Oregon National Guard The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...

, on November 28, 1916. At close grips2

He first saw

active service Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name * HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...

with the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. During

, Brett was ordered to join the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), under the command of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

John J. Pershing, on the Western Front in Belgium and France, to serve with the

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armo ...

. He was promoted to the rank of captain on July 25, 1917. Commanding the 326th Tank Battalion, Brett, now a major, led the first major American tank attack of World War I at the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

in September 1918 and, following

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...

's wounding, took command of the 1st Tank Brigade in his absence. Brett received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for his role in the battle. The Great War came to an end soon after, on

November 11, 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

. In addition to the Distinguished Service Cross, his other decorations from the war were: Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster,

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

with two Oak Leaf Clusters, French Croix de guerre 1914–1918 with palm and

Officer of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

Distinguished Service Cross citation

His official Distinguished Service Cross citation reads: :General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 15 (1919) :Action Date: September 12, 1918 :Name: Sereno Elmer Brett :Service: Army :Rank: Major :Battalion: 326th Battalion (Light) Tanks :Division: Tank Corps, American Expeditionary Forces :Citation: ''The

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

of America, authorized by Act of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Armor) Sereno Elmer Brett, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 326th Tank Battalion, Tank Corps, A.E.F., near Richecourt, France, 12 September 1918. On the opening day of the St. Mihiel offensive Major Brett led his battalion on foot from Richecourt to the Bois Quart De Reserve in the face of heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, and by his coolness and courage setting an example to the entire battalion.'' Brett was also decorated with the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for his service as chief instructor of Tank Center of the American Expeditionary Force.

Distinguished Service Medal citation

His official Distinguished Service Medal citation reads: :General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 49 (1922) :Action Date: World War I :Name: Sereno Elmer Brett :Service: Army :Rank: Major :Company: Commanding Officer :Regiment: 1st Brigade :Division: Tank Corps, American Expeditionary Forces :Citation: ''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major (Armor) Sereno Elmer Brett, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Chief Instructor at Tank Center, American Expeditionary Forces, Major Brett organized and trained the 327th Battalion (Light) Tanks. Later, as Commander of the 326th Battalion (Light) Tanks, he vigorously and skillfully led it in the St. Mihiel offensive over a terrain rendered most difficult through four years of enemy entrenching. Succeeding to the command of the 1st Brigade, Tank Corps, in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, he ably devotedly, and courageously commanded his brigade from 26 September to 10 November 1918; during this period of 46 days his brigade supported eight of the divisions of the First Army in 18 separate attacks. By his brilliant professional attainments, technical ability, and unusual leadership he contributed in a marked manner to the success of the First Army and rendered most conspicuous services to the American Expeditionary Forces in a position of great responsibility.''

Life after the war

Eisenhower transcontinental military convoy

Following the war, he played a role alongside Patton and

in evaluating the lessons learned from the war in the use of tanks in modern warfare. In 1919, Brett and future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower toured the country's emerging paved highways with an Army caravan of 80-or-so military vehicles, Army's 1919 transcontinental motor convoy, to determine if the country could manage to move large amounts of troops and equipment quickly over long distances. Brett's work with Eisenhower on this mission laid the framework for the Interstate Highway Act of 1956. He commanded the Expeditionary Tank Force in 1923–1924 in Panama. Brett remained in the U.S. Army through the lean

interwar years In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...

, and was promoted to

in February 1942. On June 3, 1941 he was designated the chief of staff of the Armored Force at Fort Knox, having previously served as chief of staff of the 1st Armored Division. During

he served on the staff of the 5th Armored Division in 1942–1943 as it prepared for service in the

European theatre The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

, and was promoted to brigadier general in 1942, but retired from the army in October 1943 for medical reasons. Brett died on September 9, 1952, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

. He and his wife, 2nd Lieutenant A.N.C. Elizabeth March Brett (1898–1981) are buried along with their son, Captain James Sereno Brett (1929-2020) at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Brett donated his extensive collection of reports, diaries and memorandums, which include personal papers of General George S. Patton, to the University of North Dakota, Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection. Among the important papers are personal diaries of Patton and Brett written during their deployment in France 1918, and reports of their tank operations at St. Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne.

Decorations

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Sereno E. 1891 births 1952 deaths United States Army Infantry Branch personnel Military personnel from Oregon United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Portland, Oregon Oregon State University alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star United States Army generals of World War II United States Army generals