George I. Brigden, Jr. '45

(b. April 23, 1916, Montclair, NJ-d. January 9, 1945, Belgium)

Attended Bound Brook High School, Bound Brook, NJ

Entered Rutgers in September of 1941, attended one semester.

Entered Service February 10, 1943, U.S. Army, Private First Class

George was a non-matriculated student while at Rutgers. He served as an infantryman in the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, attached to the Second Armored Division. In September 1944, his unit entered combat in the Seigfried Line, participated in the Roer River battles of Puffendorf and Gerensweiler, and then, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, including the battle for the "Celles pocket" and the battle for Samrée, along the northern flank of the "Bulge." He was killed in action on January 9, 1945, near the village of Chabrehez, Belgium, as his unit assaulted the enemy in an attempt to place roadblocks along the highway.

Brigden earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, and his regiment received four Presidential Unit Citations. George was married, with no children. Friends and family called him "Briggy."

[We would like to thank Keith Moe, a relative of George I. Brigden, Jr., for providing many of the details for this entry.]

George Brigden, I