Book Synopsis
PFC Ottis Earl Sudduth
WWII Replacement Soldier
In the spring of 2022, Ottis Earl Sudduth’s niece, Penny, contacted the author concerning information posted to a genealogy website that he managed. In one of the several emails they exchanged, an apparent discrepancy was noted in the number of months that her uncle PFC Ottis Earl Sudduth spent as a POW during WWII. In the process of resolving the discrepancy (5-months vs. 9-months) they discovered more detail about her Uncle Earl than either anticipated possible so long after his death in 1984. As the author crafted biographical notes to add to his website, it became clear that there was enough information for a story – however brief. Earl it turned out had enlisted in the Army in April 1944 at Fort Wolters, Texas and following basic training was shipped to Europe as a replacement soldier. In early December 1945 he was assigned to 28th Infantry Division that occupied a quiet sector of the Allied lines across from the German Sixth Panzer Army. In mid-December, following three days of battle east of Bastogne, he was reported MIA from the 110th RCT and that left his family wondering what had happened to him. The author uncovered some answers; while many others are lost to time.