The battle for Camp Nett

| May 31, 2017

My old Ranger buddy, Jack Hennessy, is a state legislator in Connecticut these days and according to the New Haven Register, he’s working an issue he has concerning the naming of a National Guard Training Center. Connecticut has two Medal of Honor recipients who served in Connecticut National Guard units, Robert B. Nett and Lee R. Hartell. Lieutenant Hartell was awarded his Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in Korea and the Connecticut National Guard has named Camp Hartell in his memory.

Robert Nett earned his Medal of Honor in the Pacific during World War II also as a member of the Connecticut National Guard and as lieutenant. He later went on to serve in the Korean War and eventually the Vietnam War serving for 33 years. Before he retired as a colonel, he was listed in the Officer Candidate School and Ranger Halls of Fame because of the work he did with those two programs. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 86 years.

Jack Hennessy, at the request of military and veterans’ groups, wants to rename “Camp Niantic” to “Camp Nett” in his honor. Niantic is named for the town outside the gates. From what I am told, the process to honor Nett is being blocked by a local state representative, Holly Cheeseman, who prefers the camp named after the town it resides in, rather than honor a true hero like Col. Nett.

Two of Nett’s supporters from New Haven’s 102nd Infantry Regiment, which Nett joined in 1940 as a 17-year-old Hillhouse High School student, don’t understand why the issue has become politicized. The roadblock also frustrates state Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who sponsored House Bill 6285 at the request of military and veterans groups.

They point out that Nett is one of just two Connecticut-native Medal of Honor winners who served in the National Guard. The other, Lt. Lee “Jack” Hartell, has a camp named for him in Windsor Locks.
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“It’s a slap in the face to anybody who served, anybody who’s serving and to anybody who’s serving in the future,” said retired Brig. Gen. Dan McHale of Avon, who has been on a mission to honor Nett since the camp’s name was last changed in 2010. “This is probably the most decorated Connecticut veteran, a leader and a mentor.

I think it is time to spread the word to bombard Holly Cheeseman’s office with emails/calls letting her know just what we think of her efforts to prevent a Medal of Honor recipient from this honor that he deserves in order to save her own political skin. Her direct office line is (860) 240-8761 and her email is Holly.Cheeseman@cga.ct.gov.

House Bill No. 6285 reads;

AN ACT RENAMING THE STATE MILITARY TRAINING FACILITY IN NIANTIC AS CAMP NETT.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 27-39a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2017):

The state military training facility in Niantic shall be named Camp [Niantic] Nett.

From Colonel Nett’s MoH citation;

Rank and organization: Captain (then Lieutenant), U.S. Army, Company E, 305th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Cognon, Leyte, Philippine Islands, 14 December 1944. Entered service at: New Haven, Conn. Birth: 13 June 1922, New Haven, Conn. G.O. No.: 16, 8 February 1946. Citation: He commanded Company E in an attack against a reinforced enemy battalion which had held up the American advance for 2 days from its entrenched positions around a 3 story concrete building. With another infantry company and armored vehicles, Company E advanced against heavy machine-gun and other automatic weapons fire with Lt. Nett spearheading the assault against the strongpoint. During the fierce hand to hand encounter which ensued, he killed 7 deeply entrenched Japanese with his rifle and bayonet and, although seriously wounded, gallantly continued to lead his men forward, refusing to relinquish his command. Again he was severely wounded, but still unwilling to retire, pressed ahead with his troops to assure the capture of the objective. Wounded once more in the final assault, he calmly made all arrangements for the resumption of the advance, turned over his command to another officer, and then walked unaided to the rear for medical treatment. By his remarkable courage in continuing forward through sheer determination despite successive wounds, Lt. Nett provided an inspiring example for his men and was instrumental in the capture of a vital strongpoint.

From the New Haven Register;

On Feb. 8, 1946, Nett received his Medal of Honor at the Goffe Street Armory in New Haven “because he knew that the men in his company didn’t have the money to take the train down to D.C.,” McHale said.

Category: Support the troops

13 Comments
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Dan

While here it is from Canada, doubt it will make a difference.

Madame

Your attempt to block a Medal of Honour winner legacy is truly abhorrent thing to do. Valor, particularly valor connected with your state should be celebrated.

Yours truly,

XXXXXXX
Captain (Artillery) Retired

Skyjumper

Holly will sit down with military personnel for photo ops, but when it comes time to stand up for vets…….meh.

https://www.facebook.com/HollyCheesemanCT/

Roh-Dog

My state is a failed experiment who’s only residual value is a lesson learned in how to run the richest state into the ground by chasing out good people and good businesses.
My diagnosis is a complete disconnect from reality.
MOH recipients should be given highest order of honor, period. Naming a training center after one is a no-brainer.
Now I’ll be forced to talk to my Rep for the second time this week….joy.

2banana

They should call the place “Tough as Nails” Camp Nett.

When the bogey man goes to bed he checks under the bed for Colonel Nett….

Thunderstixx

This man is why I tell people that thank me for my service that it was an honor to be a part of something that was so much bigger than myself and my paltry service record.
The nation stands on the shoulders of men such as this.

David

and, ironically, she is a Republican. Reminds me of the quote about how if Satan eventually won he would find it necessary to adopt the attributes of God (or something like that.) I guess Connecticut Republican is a Democrat anywhere else.

MrBill

Someone should introduce Holly Cheeseman to a certain non-Ph.D., non-lieutenant colonel security guard. They’d get along swimmingly, I’d think.

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UpNorth

Now, I get the response that her email address is “domain missing or malformed.
Please check the message recipient “Holly.Cheeseman@cga.ct.gov.” and try again.”

FatCircles0311

What was prior name before they selfishly renamed it after a city?

Why would anyone be opposed to this?

Bitch looks like Gollum.

Commissioner Wretched

Following his retirement, Colonel Nett was the Industrial Arts teacher at the high school I attended, Spencer High in Columbus, Ga. I got to know him when I was a JROTC cadet in 1974-75. No finer man ever existed, and this Holly Cheesehead or whoever she is needs to understand that. COL Nett would attend our JROTC military ball in civilian tux but with his MoH around his neck. Not showing off, mark you … he wore it only because our instructors asked him to. He never spoke about his WWII service at school, but if you were fortunate enough to catch him in his off-duty time, and asked politely, he’d tell you a little about it. Reading his citation, I realized he said next to nothing about it in person.

A man I am proud to have known, even for the short time I did know him.

JimmyRock

When I was stationed at Fort Drum with the 2-15th Field Artillery Regiment, our battalion conference room was named the Lee R. Hartell room in honor of LT Hartell. Renaming the other camp to Camp Nett should be a no-brainer. Surprisingly libtards (regardless of what letter they have after their name) don’t do no-brainers very well.