Dudley J. Britton

"Lieutenant Colonel Dudley J. Britton was born on 23 April 1917 at Turley, Oklahoma. He enlisted into the US Army in 1935 and served in Company C, 20th Infantry at Fort Francis Warren, Wyoming. In 1937 he served in the Philippines, returned to the United States in 1939 and reenlisted while serving in Company F, 6th Infantry Regiment at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri.

In 1940 he served at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in 1941 attended Officers Candidate School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was serving in Company B, 23rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 7th Armored Division; 10 August 1944, when the Battalion landed eight miles from Utah Beach during the World War II Normandy Invasion. About 17 August, the unit was tasked with clearing the enemy from the center of Chartres, the first major city the unit helped liberate. Later he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. His medals and decorations include the Silver Star, two Bronze Star Medals, three Purple Hearts, Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Infantry Badge. He also served in the Korean War. He retired from the US Army in 1958.