Samuel C. Brightman

Who was Samuel C. Brightman?

Samuel C. Brightman was a journalist, war correspondent, freelance writer and adult educator.

Brightman started his career with the Louisville Courier-Journal covering education and politics and eventually becoming their Washington correspondent. In 1939 he spent seven months travelling a Europe on the verge of war, writing a series of articles for the Courier-Journal.

He enlisted in the army in World War II and was assigned as a Public Relations Officer, responsible for transport, billeting, and general assistance for a group of newspaper reporters. He and his collection of reporters landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day with the American forces; Brightman's were the first reports to reach the U.S. after the landing, despite the fact that their equipment landed nearly a mile away and there was no reliable route for their stories. Brightman received a Bronze Star for his efforts.