Atlanta World War II Nayy veteran dead at 103
The Brief
Atlanta World War II veteran Albert Henley "Hank" Sturgess Jr. died on Sunday at the age of 103.
Sturgess earned nine battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for his bravery while serving in the South Pacific during World War II.
He lived in Georgia for the rest of his life after coming home from his service.
ATLANTA - An Atlanta World War II veteran who fought in the South Pacific will be laid to rest this week.
Albert Henley "Hank" Sturgess Jr. died on Sunday at the age of 103.
The backstory
Born in 1921 in Pennsylvania, Sturgess moved to Atlanta in 1931 with his parents. Outside his time in the Navy, he lived in Georgia for the rest of his life.
Good Day's Buck Lanford met Sturges in 2023 when the veteran was celebrating his 102nd birthday.
The metro Atlanta man worked as the CIO on the destroyer USS Radford, and received a Presidential Citation from the Secretary of the Navy for his bravery in combat. He once led the rescue of hundreds of survivors of the sunken cruiser USS Helena while under attack from Japanese warships.
Sturgess told Lanford that he remembered being at "the tip of the spear" serving near the Solomon Islands.
"We had to act very quickly with the information we had," he said. "We couldn't contemplate it. We just had to act."
After the war, Sturgess remained active in his community, eventually being named Atlanta Realtor of the Year. He was also president of the Sandy Springs Chamber of Commerce and president of the Sons of the American Revolution.
What they're saying
When asked by Lanford about his secret to living a long life, Sturgess was extremely modest.
"It's all by God's grace because I didn't do anything different. I lived the same life that you're living now. It's just by God's grace that he's allowed me to live as long as I have," he said.
What's next
A celebration of Sturgess' life will be held at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs 30327 at 10 a.m. on Friday. In lieu of flowers, the family says contributions may be made in his name to the missions fund at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, where Sturgess served as deacon and elder.
He is survived by his son, Robert Henley Sturgess, daughter-in-law Anne Sturgess, granddaughter Frances Julia Sturgess, stepsister Eleanor Whitfield, cousin Jerry Mowell, and several nephews and nieces.
The Source
Information for this story came from a previous FOX 5 report by Buck Lanford and Albert Sturgess, Jr,'s obituary.
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