Halftime salute planned for WWII hero during Leesburg High School's homecoming game

Before his recent move to Bradenton, Michael Sudderth stared at his dad's 1942 Leesburg High School letterman sweater. Seeing it again gave him an idea: to memorialize his World War II hero father in the town where he was born and raised.

This Friday (Sept. 29), Sudderth will present the sweater and a portrait of Brig. Gen. David H. Sudderth Jr. to Leesbugh High School Principal Michael Randolph during the halftime ceremony of the homecoming football game against Tavares.

Why is he letting go of the treasured souvenir? "It's the right thing to do," he said.

Sudderth's fiancee, Jill Augevich, suggested he talk to Randolph.

"God bless him," Sudderth gushed about the principal. "He's been great. I also spoke to football coach (Steven) Moffitt, They took it from there."

Gen. Sudderth was a running back on the LHS football team during his junior and senior years and went on to advance the ball down the field once again for the Citadel's football team, having earned a full scholarship.

The young player's time was cut short at the prestigious South Carolina military college. He enlisted to fight offense on the battlefield against the Germans in WW II.

"As I understand it from the documentation, my dad was the youngest platoon leader at the Battle of the Bulge," Sudderth proudly emphasized, adding that Gen. Sudderth went on to a storied career as a brigadier Army general.

According to the late veteran's Silver Star citation, he "personally led a supporting squad in a flanking movement to place heavy fire on the enemy positions, thereby enabling leading elements of his platoon to advance and seize enemy weapons that were hampering the advance. While consolidating newly won ground, he noticed two soldiers lying wounded ahead of our lines. Without hesitation, he went to their side, administered first aid, and personally evacuated one of them to a place of safety."

"My dad was 19 years old then, which is amazing to think considering that I have a daughter that age now," son Michael said.

The esteemed officer did finally get to finish his college education. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a business degree, and he retired from the Army in 1974 and later led the Missile Systems Division at Raytheon.

Gen. Sudderth, who died of cancer in 2000, served in the U.S. Army for 28 years, and his medals and honors include a World War II Victory Medal, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star Medal and an appointment to the American Battle Monument Commission.

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Michael Sudderth, a retired economist, shared that his father, mother, Imogene "Gene" Sudderth, and brother David Sudderth III all died in brief succession and are interred together at the Arlington National Cemetery. David was under 21 when he died, so according to the cemetery's policy, he was a minor and eligible to be laid to rest with his parents.

"I go to visit them once a year in Arlington and visit a friend in D.C.," Sudderth said. "I talk to them. It isn't heavy or sad, but sometimes it brings a tear to my eye."

He speaks with reverent tones about his dad, who taught him the importance of leadership and completing tasks and addressing people, even the ones you don't know, with a "Yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir,"

"He also taught me to always be optimistic," he continued. "I hesitate to say blindly optimistic, just that you should keep moving forward."

Gen. Sudderth's catchphrase was, "Hang in there and fight 'em."

"I worked for two international corporations and traveled all around the world, and that's what I always had in the back of my head," son Michael said. "When I'd come home from work, back when I started my career, and I'd come home exhausted and wiped out. He'd say, 'Hang in there and fight 'em.' "

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: There will be a halftime salute for a World War II hero and LHS grad