Bill would rename Camp Niantic after World War II hero
East Lyme — A proposal in the General Assembly would rename Camp Niantic, the National Guard installation, after a Connecticut recipient of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in action.
Rep. Jack Hennessy, D-Bridgeport, co-chairmain of the state's Veterans Affairs Committee, is one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 6285, which would change the name of the facility to Camp Nett in honor of deceased Army Col. Robert Nett, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Philippines during World War II. He died in 2008 at the age of 86 after a short illness. A year earlier he was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans' Hall of Fame, which honors veterans for giving back to their communities after the military.
Hennessy said there's precedent for the name change given Camp Hartell, the National Guard installation in Windsor Locks, is named after Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Lee Hartell.
"These names are important to the military and to providing good role models for future generations," he said.
Nett, a native of New Haven, enlisted as a private in the 102nd Infantry, Connecticut National Guard, in May 1940 while a junior in high school. At the time, the minimum enlistment age was 18, but Nett reportedly folded his birth certificate in half to smudge the date.
He became an infantry officer after graduating from Officer Candidate School in December 1942, and went on to command Company E, 305th Infantry regiment. Two years later he showed heroism that earned him the Medal of Honor.
On Dec 14, 1944, near Cognon, on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, Nett led Company E in an attack against a reinforced enemy battalion, which had held up the American advance for two days. Nett killed seven deeply entrenched Japanese with his rifle and bayonet. Despite being seriously wounded, Nett continued leading his men forward. Eventually, he turned over command to another officer and calmly made arrangements to resume the advance, then walked unaided to receive medical treatment. For those actions, Nett received the Medal of Honor.
President Harry Truman was to present him with the award in Washington D.C., but had to travel to California at the last minute to attend the formation of the United Nations. Given that, Nett asked that he receive the award at the New Haven Armory because he knew his soldiers couldn't afford to travel to Washington.
"He was all about his soldiers," said Dan McHale, of Avon, a retired brigadier general who was friends with Nett.
Nett also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. While he spent much of his later life in Georgia, where he served as battalion commander for the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning (he is known as the father of the Officer Candidate School), Nett would travel back to Connectiut to give talks to soldiers and attend various events.
"He epitomizes a soldier. He touched so many lives, not only in Connecticut but across the nation for anyone who served in the infantry," McHale said. "He was just a soldier's soldier."
The proposal to rename the installation after Nett first surfaced in 2010. Until 2010, the installation was named after the sitting governor. Legislation sponsored by then-state Rep. Ed Jutila, D-East Lyme, permanently changed the name to Camp Niantic to eliminate confusion from the frequent name changes and save the state the money it spent changing signs after each new governor took office. Some of the supporters of the name change at the time urged that it be changed instead to honor Nett.
Jutila submitted testimony against the latest name change proposal, saying if it is passed it "would lead to more wasted state funds for sign changes, as well as maps, stationary, etc. and a new round of confusion." The fiscal note for the bill says it would result in "minimal costs for replacing signage at the facility and highway and road wayfinding signage."
While Jutila ackowledged in his testimony that Nett is worthy of distinction, he pointed out that there is already a "prominent" building named after him near the entrance to Camp Niantic.
Hennessy said his bill's chances of passing are slim, as it's stuck in the House, but said "I'll never give up."
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.