On behalf of the entire Citadel Class of 1986, I'm sharing the remarks I provided at Britt's funeral.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Amen.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Jeff Miller. I had the honor and privilege of being one of Britt’s roommates and one of his closest friends at The Citadel.
It is with heavy hearts of all from The Citadel Class of 1986 and all who wear the ring that we stand here today to pay tribute to one of the finest men we have ever known.

Britt and I first met on the 15th of August 1982 as we were moving into Hotel Company. We developed an instant and deep friendship, as Britt did with the rest of our Hotel Company classmates. That friendship soon transcended H Company to the rest of the Corps…and that has led us all here today.

For anyone who has gone through the 4th Class System at The Citadel, having a classmate who, no matter how tough the day was, no matter how beaten down you were, remained upbeat, knowing, “we’ll get through this.”
And we all had that in Britt.

Britt forever had a laid-back style that brought type A-personalities like me…back to reality. It was his gregarious personality that helped us through our Knob year and made the rest of our years at The Citadel some of the most cherished times of our lives.

There have been so many wonderful things said by my classmates about Britt since his passing, that I could spend hours talking about them. One that personally struck me, and I believe best described Britt was from Rick Blanchard…one of our classmates from Echo Company:

The world lost a ray of sunshine and laughter

I really think that is as perfect as statement as if gets. It speaks to how we all knew and loved Britt. The impact he made on all of our lives is immeasurable. On a personal note, among many other things, I am forever grateful to Britt for doing his very best to beat the Yankee out of me…a task perhaps more challenging than surviving the 4th Class System, but one which he gladly took on with kindness and compassion.
Britt was just one of those chosen few who got along with everyone…he was The Citadel’s Ferris Buehler…everyone loved Britt.

Following graduation, we became aware of another of Britt’s talents…that of a great businessman. I remember a conversion Britt and I had following a Citadel football game after we had graduated. I was a newly commissioned Ensign in the Navy and Britt one was working for a financial services company in Statesboro, GA. As we were talking about our new lives in the working world, I remember Britt telling me, “Jeff…I hate this job…I can’t wait to quit someday and open my own business.”

And along with his brother Jimmy, Britt did exactly that. Britt epitomized the American Dream and was a true entrepreneur. He possessed a keen business mind and principled ethics that are too often absent in today’s business world. I also think it is important to step back and look at the impact Britt and Jimmy’s company has had on the community…the thousands of jobs they have created. That is a truly remarkable accomplishment…done the right way.

Yet Britt’s success in business was dwarfed by his success as a family man.
As a loving husband…father…uncle…church and community member…Britt was a role model who made a difference in so many lives. And as Britt was part of our ’86 family, we in turn will be forever committed to Britt’s family. Elizabeth, Colby, Cooper…you will always be part of our family…and we will always be here for y’all.

As we all grieve in Britt’s passing, I sought scripture to provide me purpose and strength to get through this. I found it in 1st Thessalonians 4:13:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

In closing, I come back to the last verse of The Citadel Cadet Prayer, a verse that has always been important to my faith….…and one that speaks to all of us as we celebrate Britt’s life:

Grant to each one of us, in his own life, a humble heart, a steadfast purpose, and a joyful hope, with a readiness to endure hardship and suffer if need be, that truth may prevail among us and that Thy will may be done on earth. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.