WINCHESTER — A Highland Lake resident who was often in front of the front lines during World War II will be honored for his service tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 15), when he’ll be one of 100 men who will fly to Washington, D.C., with Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele for a day trip to see the World War II Memorial.
Donald Southergill, a member of the 150th Engineer Combat Battalion during the war, is the author of “A Combat Engineer Remembers� (2002, Trafford Publishing), which chronicles his movements across Europe. He will join veterans from across Connecticut and from neighboring towns in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for a 9 a.m. state-sponsored Honor Flight into Reagan National Airport.
From there, the veterans will receive a police escort to the World War II Memorial and lay a wreath at the Connecticut pillar in memory of those who did not return home. They will have lunch at the memorial with visiting Honor Flight groups from Tennessee and Utah.
Southergill received a Purple Heart and numerous other medals for his service as a combat engineer. His work included building roads and bridges to keep tanks and infantry moving during the war.
“A few artillery shells caught up with us,� he recalled Tuesday. “At one point we were on a hill looking out over the entire armored division. We felt safe, but as I was sitting there with my feet in a foxhole, my peripheral vision picked up something happening to the right and then to the left of me. The next one that hit was one truck-length away from me and it hit the next guy right in the foxhole and killed him.�
Southergill’s unit took heavy enemy fire while building bridges across rivers in France in 1944 and eventually into Czechoslovakia during the waning months of the war in 1945. He recalls both frightening and humorous events in his book, which can be found at Winsted’s Beardsley & Memorial Library.
“Our mission was to keep the main supply roads open,� Southergill said. “We did whatever needed to be done when the tanks came around the corner.� He recalls spending extended periods sleeping in tents in the pouring rain and dodging land mines and artillery shells during the day.
Southergill and his fellow soldiers experienced a number of memorable events, including celebrating Christmas on the high seas during their trip overseas in 1943 and eating a Thanksgiving meal cooked by German prisoners of war in 1945. He said he is proud of his service and on Wednesday he showed a case of medals at his home, along with a captured Nazi flag and an assortment of enemy knives.
Southergill grew up in Manchester and married his high school sweetheart, Lucy, after returning from overseas. He had told her before he left that he didn’t want to marry her and leave a widow behind. They have remained together to this day. They moved to Winsted in 1983.
Lt. Gov. Fedele said he is honored to join veterans and volunteer guardians on tomorrow’s trip to the nation’s capital. “The Connecticut Honor Flight is one of the most important projects I’ve been involved with as lieutenant governor,� he said. “The men and women I am traveling with are true heroes. This is a day to celebrate their achievements and their experiences. It is a privilege to be a part of it.�
The men and women who are going on the Connecticut Honor Flight represent and support several branches of the Armed Forces — the Army, Navy, Marines and Army Air Force. The trip is free for the veterans and it will mark Southergill’s first trip to see the World War II Memorial.
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