CAMP NIANTIC NAMED FOR WWII HERO
Col. Robert Nett won the Medal of Honor after maintaining command despite wounds in the Philippines
East Lyme — The Connecticut National Guard’s primary training installation has been renamed in honor of a New Haven Medal of Honor recipient, who was remembered for putting his soldiers first.
When Army Col. Robert Nett received the Medal of Honor in 1946, he told the assembled crowd at the New Haven Armory that it wasn’t his, but instead belonged to all the brave soldiers who had made it possible, Maj. Gen. Fran Evon, the head of the Connecticut National Guard, recalled Monday at a ceremony renaming the facility, formerly known as Camp Niantic, as Camp Nett at Niantic.
Nett, who died in 2008 at the age of 86, enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard in May 1940 while a junior in high school. He reportedly folded his birth certificate in half, making the date difficult to decipher to hide the fact that he wasn’t yet old enough to enlist. He went on to lead a storied career in the Guard, serving in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
On Dec. 14, 1944, near Cognon, on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, Nett led his company in attack against the enemy, which had held up an American advance for two days.
Nett’s Company E advanced with another infantry company and armored vehicles against heavy fire, with Nett spearheading the assault. During the hand-to-hand combat that ensued, Nett killed seven deeply entrenched Japanese fighters with his rifle and bayonet.
Despite being seriously wounded, Nett continued leading his men forward, refusing to relinquish command.
“Again he was severely wounded, but still unwilling to retire, pressed ahead with his troops to assure the capture of the object,” his medal citation says.
He was wounded once again in the final assault, after which he calmly made preparations to resume the advance and turned over his command to another officer. He then walked unaided to get medical treatment.
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 Connecticut to give talks to soldiers and attend various events.
“In his heart, Connecticut was always home,” Evon said.
The proposal to rename the Niantic installation after Nett first surfaced in 2010. Until then, the installation had always been 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.
After several attempts to rename the facility after Nett, the General Assembly passed legislation doing that in 2018.
Several of Nett’s family members traveled from out of state for Monday’s ceremony, which was held on National Medal of Honor Day. They recalled how Nett, whom they referred to as “Pappy,” went on to have a successful teaching career after leaving the military. They joked that he treated his students much as he treated his soldiers. He loved them and was sure to keep them in line.
“It took us a long time to realize he was a war hero,” said Nett’s granddaughter Erica Rubalcaba. “He was the grandpa who took us trick or treating and would dress up as a pumpkin.”