Brizzie, Adrian C.

Description

Adrian Coons Brizzie

Adrian Coons Brizzie was born on October 25, 1915, his father, Nelson, was 21 and his mother, Mina, was 19. He died in October 1986 in Shelton, Connecticut, at the age of 71. In Rye his family lived at 1095 Post Road.

Adrian married Ellen Eckert on April 26, 1941 in Poughkeepsie, NY. He enlisted October 27, 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Adrian was in the 94th Construction Battalion serving with the Seabees in the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre. United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the first letters “C B” from the words Construction Battalion.

Naval Construction Battalions were conceived of as replacements to civilian construction companies in combat zones after the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the time civilian contractors had roughly 70,000 men working U.S.N. contracts overseas. International law made it illegal for civilian workers to resist an attack. Doing so would classify them as guerrillas and could lead to summary execution.

The concept model CB was a USMC trained military equivalent of those civilian companies: able to work anywhere, under any conditions or circumstances. It was realized that CBs were flexible, adaptable and could be utilized in every theater of operations. The use of USMC organization allowed for smooth co-ordination, integration or interface between NCF and Marine Corps elements. Additionally, CBs could be deployed individually or in multiples as the project scope and scale dictated.

Adm. Ernest King wrote to the Seabees on their second anniversary, “Your ingenuity and fortitude have become a legend in the naval service.” Seabees believe that anything they are tasked with, they “Can Do”. Adrian was honorably discharged from the Seabees on December 12, 1945. SEE MUSTER ROLLS

After the war, Adrian and Ellen moved and lived and worked the rest of their days in Connecticut.

Adrian Coons Brizzie died on October 20, 1986, in Bridgeport, CT, at the age of 70, and was buried in Shelton, CT.

Name: Adrian Brizzie
Social Security Number: 072-10-8671
Birth Date: 25 Oct 1915
Issue Year: Before 1951
Issue State: New York
Last Residence: 06484, Shelton, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Death Date: Oct 1986

SF3C