His burning sense of duty overcame his burning fever from malaria, as Briles performed three gallant deeds over a two-day span. He could have been resting in a hospital, but refused to leave his buddies. So on two different occasions, Briles braved German bullets to rescue wounded survivors trapped in crippled, burning tank destroyers. The next day he drove into advancing German troops, blunted their charge and captured 55 Germans. Two days of extraordinarily courageous actions earned the medal for Briles.

The Germans had been pushed swiftly out of France, but renewed their tenacity because they were now defending their homeland. Nazi troops found a gap in the American lines and attacked Briles’ Company C. 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion. The general mission of tank destroyer battalions such as that in which Briles was attached was to engage and destroy enemy tanks permitting Allied tanks to break through and destroy enemy rear areas. Tank destroyers had a crew of five, their top speed 26 miles per hour. Unlike tanks, their turrets were open-topped making them vulnerable to grenades, shell bursts and small arms fire.

The Hurtgen Forest battles became the longest engagement in the history of the U.S. Army, lasting from September 1944, to February 1945. Strategically, it has been considered controversial because critics have called it an unneeded attempt to advance through an area geographically favorable to the German defenders. America suffered over 30,000 casualties as heavily entrenched and fortified Germans were able to nullify superior American numbers thanks to thick woods that limited visibility and the ability of American armor to maneuver.