Leroy Newton Suddath Jr. (February 21, 1931 – February 27, 2020) was a major general in the United States Army. He was commissioned in 1956 after graduation from the United States Military Academy. Suddath served as commander of the 1st Special Operations Command before his retirement in 1988. Born in Savannah at the Old Oglethorpe Sanitarium to Lucille and Leroy Suddath, he was the youngest of five children including Tom, Bill, Mary Ann, and Lucille. He attended Charles Ellis School, Richard Arnold Junior High School, Savannah High School, Georgia Military College and then graduated from Richmond Academy in Augusta where he was an All- GIAA Basketball player. He attended

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

on a basketball scholarship and the University of Georgia before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point, from which he graduated in 1956 and was commissioned a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of Infantry. He is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College, The

Foreign Service Institute The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States federal government's primary training institution for employees of the U.S. foreign affairs community, preparing American diplomats as well as other professionals to advance U.S. foreig ...

, The

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

and the Harvard University Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. He served two and a half years in Vietnam as an advisor to the 8th Vietnamese Airborne Battalion; as the Commander, Second Battalion,

28th Infantry Since the establishment of the United States Army in 1775, three regiments have held the designation 28th Infantry Regiment. The first was a provisional unit that was constituted on 29 January 1813 and served during The War of 1812. The second ...

, First Infantry Division; and in a special assignment with the Central Intelligence Agency. He participated in eight campaigns and was decorated six times for gallantry in action. His awards and decorations include the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

; two

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Medals; the Distinguished Flying Cross; Five

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

s, the Vietnam Service Medal with eight campaign stars; the

Order of Saint Maurice The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the w ...

, the Master Parachutist Badge, the

Ranger Tab In the United States Army, tabs are cloth and/or metal arches displaying a word or words signifying a special skill that are worn on U.S. Army uniforms. On the Army Combat Uniform and Army Service Uniform, the tabs are worn above a unit's Should ...

and the Combat Infantry Badge. He was inducted into the Richmond Academy Hall of Fame in 2015. His General Officer assignments include the Assistant Division Commander,

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

;

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

General, U.S. Army, Europe and

Seventh United States Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fran ...

; Commanding General U.S. Army Berlin Brigade; and the Commanding General United States Army Special Operations Command, consisting of Special Forces, Rangers, Special Operations Aviation, Psychological Operations and Civil Affairs Units. General Suddath retired from the Army in 1988 and served as a consultant to Defense related industries and lastly, as the President for VnVets, GP, Inc. He was a member of the Savannah Golf Club and served on the Board of Managers. He was a communicant of Saint John’s Episcopal Church and a member of the vestry and former President of the Men of St. John’s. He was a member of the Society of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS); a member of the West Point Society of Savannah, the Harvard Club of Georgia and the Army Navy Club of Washington, DC. He was a former member of the Chatham Dove Club, The Forest City Gun Club, The Special Forces Club of London, England and the Augusta Country Club. Suddath died at the age of 89 on February 27, 2020.

References

1931 births 2020 deaths Military personnel from Savannah, Georgia Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Military Academy alumni United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-army-bio-stub