Jerome A. Sudut

Leading repeated assaults near Kumhwa

Jerome A. Sudut was born on October 20, 1930, in Wausau, Wisconsin. He served as a second lieutenant in Company B, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, during the Korean War.

On September 12, 1951, near Kumhwa, a fortified enemy bunker stopped his platoon's advance. Sudut attacked it alone and drove out its defenders. Wounded, he refused evacuation, reorganized his men, and led another attack after enemy troops returned through connecting trenches. When the automatic rifleman accompanying him was wounded, Sudut took the man's weapon and continued. Mortally wounded and out of ammunition, he entered the emplacement and overcame its last defender. His platoon then captured the hill.

His posthumous Medal of Honor was presented to his parents at the Pentagon on March 12, 1952, by Secretary of the Army Frank C. Pace. Sudut was buried in Restlawn Memorial Cemetery in Wausau. His award commemorates leadership and self-sacrifice that enabled his fellow soldiers to secure their objective.

Official Medal of Honor citation: 2d Lt. Sudut distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His platoon, attacking heavily fortified and stategically located hostile emplacements, had been stopped by intense fire from a large bunker containing several firing posts. Armed with submachine gun, pistol, and grenades, 2d Lt. Sudut charged the emplacement alone through vicious hostile fire, killing three of the occupants and dispersing the remainder. Painfully wounded, he returned to reorganize his platoon, refused evacuation, and led his men in a renewed attack. The enemy had returned to the bunker by means of connecting trenches from other emplacements and the platoon was again halted by devastating fire. Accompanied by an automatic-rifleman, 2d Lt. Sudut again charged into close-range fire to eliminate the postion. When the rifleman was wounded, 2d Lt. Sudut seized his weapon and continued alone, killing three of the four remaining occupants. Though mortally wounded and his ammunition exhausted, he jumped into the emplacement and killed the remaining enemy soldier with his trench knife. His singlehanded assaults so inspired his comrades that they continued the attack and drove the enemy from the hill, securing the objective. Second Lt. Sudut's consummate fighting spirit, outstanding leadership, and gallant self-sacrifice are in keeping with the finest traditions of the infantry and the U.S. Army.