Private George Milton Brickles 35782123 US Army. He was born on March 28, 1919, in Latrobe, West Virginia. He was the son of William Hile Brickles and Barbara Ellen Swim Brickles. George was the 3rd oldest of 7 kids. George married Freda Dean Brickles Mitchell in 1940 in Logan County, West Virginia. They had 3 children during their marriage. Before the war they lived in Triadelphia, West Virginia.
He entered the US Army on Aug. 14, 1944, in Huntington West Virginia, at the age of 25. At the time of his enlistment he was 5 foot 7 inches tall weighed 136 pounds had blonde hair and blue eyes and was working at the Amherstdale Coal Company. He entered 1st Platoon, A Company, 253rd Infantry, 63rd Infantry Division on February 13, 1945. On April 6, 1945 the 17th SS present defensive position was part of the key to the 40 mile long; “Heilbronn Line.” A/253rd line of battle was from Untergriesheim, Germany to Kressbach Germany was along the high ridge between the Jagst & Kocker Rivers. It generally followed the old Romanic Road. It was a little more that 4.5 miles long or 7.3 KM. The company was not up to full strength at the beginning of the action. Many of the men only remember seeing one tree between the 2 towns. It was mostly open wet muddy newly plowed fields. This advance took A Company nearly 12 hours to achieve and resulted in over 75% casualties for A Company. This advance is also the action that 1st Lieutenant James E. Robinson KIA earned the Medal of Honor during. During the advance Private Brickles was seriously wounded by 5 chunks of shrapnel one of the shrapnel chunks was in his spine area. He was taken to the 112th evacuation hospital. He was discharged from the US Army on October 8, 1945 at the age of 26. He was Awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal with oak leaf cluster, The American Theater of operations, the European Theater of Operations Medal ETO with 2 battle star, and the World War Two Victory Medal. He died on November 3, 1994, in Lake City, Florida, at the age of 75.
63rd Infantry Division records
U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
West Virginia, Marriages Index, 1785-1971
the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
the 1930 United States Federal Census
the 1940 United States Federal Census
the 1950 United States Federal Census