JULIUS EARL SUTTON

As told by his sons Robert and Jimmy Sutton
Interview by Johnnie Faye Taylor


U.S. ARMY



Earl was the son of Julius Washington Sutton and Alma Tanner Sutton. He was born and raised in the Brewton-Lovett area of Laurens County at Keene's Crossing. Earl attended school in Brewton, Georgia.



During Earl's teen years, he left home to begin life on his own. He worked at several different jobs during those early years while supporting himself.



Earl married Evelyn Lee Smith in 1941. They were only married a few months when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.



The young couple continued on with their lives knowing that any day the war could cause major changes in their family. They celebrated the birth of their first child in 1942. Their son, Robert, was born that year.



Earl was drafted into the Army in ___________________. He entered military service at Fort MacPherson, Georgia. Earl was sent to Fresno, California for Basic Training.



The Fresno, California area was still popular in those days as a ski destination. Earl worked on the ski trails in his off duty hours. That provided more money for him and his family. When not needed to work on the ski trails, he would assist skiers by carrying their skis up the slopes. He was given a $100.00 tip for his assistance on one occasion.



Earl remained in California for further training when his Basic Training was completed. He received his overseas orders and was given a furlough to go home for a short visit prior to his embarkation.











While eating his Thanksgiving Dinner in Europe, Earl sat next to Horace Knowles. They were enjoying a good meal for a change and talking. A sniper shot and killed Horace during the meal.



The lack of supplies including food was a constant problem for Earl's unit. They often had to eat whatever they could scrounge. He told of once being so hungry he actually ate horse meat.



As Germans were killed, Earl would sometimes to able to get some German items to put in his trunk for souvenirs. He managed to obtain a swastika from a German officer, a bayonet and some other items.



Earl went to Dachau with his unit. They were part of the troops sent to release the Jews that were held there. Memories of horrors seen at Dachau that day remained with him throughout his life.



He told his family about seeing some jet airplanes in Germany. They had propellers installed on them to make the jets appear to be the slower airplanes like they had used throughout most of the war.



Earl was seriously injured while fighting on the front line. He was in a building when a shell hit the building. An explosion followed. Earl had several shrapnel wounds and was apparently unconscious from his wounds. He was presumed dead. Someone took Earl's boots during the time he was unconscious. When he regained consciousness, his feet were so cold they were blue. He was forced to walk for help in the snow with no protection on his feet. Earl spent seven or eight months in a hospital in Germany while recuperating.



After the war was over, Earl stayed in Germany as part of the Army of Occupation. Among the horrible living conditions in Germany that Earl witnessed, the lack of food was maybe the one that most affected him. He told his family about the German people eating horses, rats or anything they could find. Some of these people were civilians caught up in a very bad situation brought on by Hitler and his cohorts.





Eventually it was time for Earl to return to the United States. He traveled by ship. Storms in the Atlantic caused rough seas. A girder on the ship fell killing several of the men who had survived the fighting in Europe only to get killed on the ship bringing them home. To keep from falling overboard, the other passengers had to tie themselves to the ship's structure.



Earl was discharged at________________________________on ______________________. He was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the European Theater Ribbon.



Earl rode the train from the port of disembarkation to Macon, Georgia. He had no transportation to Dublin so he had to think of a way to get home with his trunk. Earl found a piece of tin and some bob wire. He put his trunk on the tin, used the bob wire for pulling it and began the long walk to Dublin. He walked nearly all the way home pulling his trunk behind him.



Another child was born to the Suttons in 1944. Earl and Evelyn celebrated the birth of their daughter, Roselyn. With a family of four to support, Earl wasted no time before getting a job. He began driving a truck for Stump Prescott who had a mule trading business. He worked in the Wrightsville area for a while.



Later Earl got a job at the Laurens County Public Works Camp. He moved his family to the County Farm where he worked and some housing was available for a few of the employees.



In 1945, Earl took a job operating a motor grader for the county. He spent five years grading roads throughout the county.



The G.I. Bill had been passed by 1950. Earl took advantage of classes that taught veterans how to farm. He started farming as a sharecropper. A really bad drought in 1952 forced him to give up farming.



Two more children had been added to the family by then. Daughter, Flossie was born in 1946 and son, Jimmy, was born in 1948. This brought the total of children in the family to four.



Running a motor grader for the county brought in a regular paycheck so Earl went back to work for the county. He continued operating the motor grader until 1956.



During the years since Earl's discharge from the Army, he had problems with his feet. He also continued to have problems associated with his other wartime injuries. Earl was treated at the VA Hospital in Dublin on several occasions.



Earl worked a short period of time at Delta Plywood and with Ernest (Peggy) Smith. He drove a bull dozier for Mr. Smith. After two or three years, Earl was able to buy his own bull dozier. He became self-employed at that time.



Much of Earl's work was done for Thomas Curry. The Curry brothers were building new subdivisions and those areas needed streets. Earl was contracted to build many of the streets in Dublin for Mr. Curry.



Another child was added to the family in 1960 when daughter, Vickie, was born. She would become the youngest of the Sutton's children.



Earl and Evelyn's oldest son, Robert, had started a road building construction business. Earl went to work for Robert in 1985. About 1993, Earl retired due to poor health.



When not working, Earl enjoyed fishing and hunting. He hunted quail, squirrel, duck and deer; Just whatever was in season. Earl was also an avid gardener. His sons, Robert and Jimmy, remember their dad plowing the garden after his health became so bad that he had to be put on the tractor and taken off.



Robert and Jimmy also recall the many church grounds and cemeteries where their dad did bull dozier work for no charge. He felt that his labor was a donation to the community.



Though Earl's health had never been really good since he was injured in World War II, he managed to live a full and a productive life. The results of his working years can be seen throughout Laurens County and that is a very real source of pride for his family.