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

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who fought in both

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

armored warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war. The premise of armored warfare rests on the abil ...

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 the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

Early life and military career

Brett was born on October 31, 1891, in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, as a son of James Brett, and Clara Marie de Lille Harvey. Brett enrolled at Oregon Agricultural College (now

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

) and earned his

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

at the Agricultural college's School of Forestry in 1916. After graduation, Brett entered the

Oregon National Guard The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the Government of Oregon, 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 of Oregon, governor as ...

and then the

and, after attending a training course for officers, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch of the

, on November 28, 1916. He first saw active service with the 3rd Infantry Regiment, Oregon National 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, US Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the para ...

where they stood watch at Calexico. During

, Brett was ordered to join the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

(AEF), under the command of Major General John J. Pershing, on the Western Front in Belgium and France, to serve with the Tank Corps. He was promoted to the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on July 25, 1917. Commanding the 326th Tank Battalion, Brett, now a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

, 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 to 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 again ...

in September 1918 and, following

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

George S. Patton's wounding, took command of the 1st Tank Brigade in his absence. Brett received the Distinguished Service Cross for his role in the battle. The Great War came to an end soon after, on November 11, 1918. In addition to the Distinguished Service Cross, his other decorations from the war were:

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

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.

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. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

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 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, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

, and was promoted to brigadier general in February 1942. On June 3, 1941, he was designated the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the Armored Force at

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

, 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, taking place from September 1939 to May 1945. The Allied powers (including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union and Franc ...

, 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 (, meaning ) 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 Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. 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 the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. 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

Rank History: * May 1, 1916 Enlisted and Assigned Co K, 3rd Oregon Infantry (passed physical on May 5th) * June 26, 1916 Resigned from company to accept commission , 2nd Lt * July 1, 1938 Lieutenant-Colonel * March 6, 1941 Colonel (Army of the United States) * February 15, 1942 Brigadier-General (Army of the United States) * December 9, 1942 Termination of rank Brigadier-General (Army of the United States) * October 31, 1943 Brigadier-General (Retired)

Bibliography

* *Brett, Sereno Elmer (1920). ''Lumbering in national defense.'' Oregon State University undergraduate thesis Bachelor of Science (B.S.) *

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