Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
2ndLt Sudut received a battlefield commission during the Korean War and twice cleared a bunker alone that was stopping his platoon’s attack on a hill. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Second Lieutenant Jerome Aubrey Sudut was born on October 20th, 1930 in Wausau, Wisconsin.
In 1946, Sudut dropped out of high school and enlisted in the U.S. Army, lying about his age to join. In the Army, he served as an MP and a mechanic for small arms and automobiles. He also attended Airborne School, and was later assigned to the 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Wolfhounds”.
In July 1950, Sudut and the Wolfhounds deployed to fight in the Korean War. On September 12th, 1951, Jerome and his platoon were tasked with seizing Hill 520 in Kumhwa Valley from the People’s Volunteer Army of China, which had intervened on behalf of the North. The PVA had heavily fortified the hill with trenches and machine guns.
As the attack continued, Sudut’s platoon was stopped by heavy fire from a large bunker. Sudut ran alone through intense fire to reach the bunker, killing three and causing the rest to run. Though he was wounded in the close quarters fight, he refused to be evacuated in order to continue the attack. The enemy retook the bunker and resumed raining fire on Sudut’s platoon. He and another soldier raced back to seize it, and were immediately wounded. Sudut was the only one to reach the bunker, and killed another three enemy soldiers before running out of ammunition. He defeated the last occupant with his trench knife before succumbing to his wounds, but his actions inspired his platoon to seize the hill.
On March 12th, 1952, Sudut was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The award was received by his parents, Joseph and Regina Sudut, at the Pentagon. He also received a purple heart, and an honorary diploma from Wausau East High School.
The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our producer and engineer, León Pescador is our associate producer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.
