Sereno E. Brett
Sereno Elmer Brett (October 31, 1891 – September 9, 1952) was a highly decorated brigadier general in the United States Army who fought in both World War I and World War II and played a key, if little recognized today, role in the development of armored warfare 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. Early life and military career. Brett was born on October 31, 1891, in Portland, Oregon, as a son of James Brett, and Clara Marie de Lille  Harvey. Brett enrolled at Oregon State University and earned his Bachelor of Science at the Agricultural faculty in 1916. After his graduation, Brett entered the United States Army and, after attending a training course for officers, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Infantry Branch of the Oregon National Guard, on November 28, 1916. He first saw active service with the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) during the Pancho Villa Expedition. During World War I, Brett was ordered to join the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), under the command of 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 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 in September 1918 and, following Colonel 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 with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart 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: 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: Life after the war. Following the war, he played a role alongside Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower 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, and was promoted to brigadier general 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 World War II he served on the staff of the 5th Armored Division in 1942–1943 as it prepared for service in the European theatre, 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. He and his  wife, 2nd Lieutenant A.N.C. Elizabeth M. Britt (1898–1981) are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. 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.