Nationality:

American (1776 - present, Republic)

David Leslie Briggs enlisted in 1943 at the age of seventeen in Los Angeles, California.
He went through basic infantry training and then was assigned to Camp Van Dorn, MS., for training with tank destroyers. He graduated on June 20th 1944 and then received an 18-day furlough before being shipped overseas.
Pfc. David L. Briggs shipped out of New York harbor on the Queen Mary, August 24th 1944 bound for England. Upon arrival in England he was shipped across the island to an awaiting boat for France as replacement. He landed on Omaha Beach on September 12th 1944. Here he was sent to a replacement pool atop a long hill at Omaha Beach. From there they were loaded up on trucks and sent to a replacement depot near St Lô, France. Here Briggs was assigned to the 137th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Infantry Division, Company K.
They were out in the field when the CO. asked for radio operators with experience. The company was short of a radio sergeant, so he was promoted to Acting Buck Sergeant and given the job. Upon return of the old radio sergeant Sgt. David L. Briggs asked to go out on the line. He was made an Assistant Squad Leader and fought in that position until the time he went to hospital in November of 1944
When Sgt. David L. Briggs returned to Company K, his position had been filled in his old Platoon so he was assigned to another Platoon as an Assistant Squad Leader. The following day he was called to the command post, and asked if he thought he would be interested in being the Operations Sergeant at S-3. He accepted this position and worked there up until the time he was accepted in to OCS-8 in France.
Second Lieutenant David L. Briggs returned to the 137th Infantry Regiment after graduation of OCS and was assigned to the Heavy Weapons Platoon of Company D. where he was in charge of a district in Germany during the occupation.
The 137th was then sent to Holland to Camp B-60 to guard the President of the United States on his Potsdam conference.
The unit was then sent to Camp Lucky Strike, France for return to the United States on August 22nd, 1945. They arrived in Boston harbor on August 31st, 1945, going to Camp Miles Standish. Then they were shipped to Camp Breckenridge, KY., David L. Briggs received a furlough after which he returned to help disbanding the unit. After that, Second Lieutenant David L. Briggs was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Camp Campbell, KY. to help with the troops returning from Europe. After earning enough points to get out of the active Army, he was assigned to the Sixth Army Reserves California and Nevada. Here he stayed active, until he resigned his commission in 1953. Besides his personal decorations he was entitled to wear the unit distinctions for the
Presidential Unit Citation and Meritorious Unit Citation and after the war he received the Army of Occupation With Germany Clasp.

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• Photo 1: Robert M. Briggs
• - National Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue St. Louis, Missouri
  - Robert M. Briggs (Son of David L. Briggs)