On Sunday, July 20, 2014 of Bethesda, MD. Beloved husband of Gertrude “Trudy” Tulley Surut for 65 years; father of Louisa S. Greene, Christine S. Crane and David L. Surut; grandfather of Andrew R. Carey, Charlotte B. Greene, Rebecca L. Crane, Keenan M. Crane, Alexandra L. and Natalie D. Surut; and great-grandfather of Kira Surut. Memorial service at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, 5450 Massachusetts Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20816 on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 11 a.m. Funeral Service at the Old Post Chapel, Ft. Myer, VA on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 11 a.m. followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church or Army Emergency Relief Fund, 200 Stovall Street, Alexandria, VA 22333.

Lee E. Surut was born in New York City to Louis and Ruth Surut. He graduated with honors in 1942 from the Horace Mann School for Boys in Riverdale, NY and entered Harvard College, where he joined the Army ROTC. In April 1943 Lee entered the enlisted reserve. The Army sent him to Princeton University for two years to study engineering in the ASTP program and pre-med training. From Princeton he was sent to Amherst College to the West Point Prep program. He entered the United States Military Academy in the summer of 1945, graduating with the Class of 1949. On June 11, 1949, Lee married Gertrude Day (Trudy) Tulley, daughter of Major General David and Alice Tulley. Thirty-four years of active service and 29 moves brought many assignments at home and abroad, promotions for Lee and many good friends and wonderful memories. Lee’s greatest satisfaction was serving with “troops”. As an Airborne Field Artillery officer, he served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. In May 1965 he led the advance party of the first U.S. Army troops into Vietnam from the 173rd that had been based on Okinawa. He commanded the artillery battalion that included units from Australia and New Zealand during a year of heavy combat. He returned to Vietnam in 1970 with the 101st Airborne Division as artillery commander providing both ground and helicopter support to the Division’s three brigades. In 1972 Lee became assistant division commander of the 3rd Armored Division in Hanau, Germany, where he worked closely with the civilian mayor of Hanau to gain support for the Army’s mission. In 1975 he moved to Vienna, Austria to serve as the Joint Chiefs of Staff representative to the Mutual and Balanced Force Reduction talks between NATO members and the Warsaw Pact. In July 1983, he retired from the U.S. Army as the Commandant of The National War College at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. He thoroughly enjoyed his role as a teacher and mentor. Lee received many recognitions over the decades. His military decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, 3 awards of the Legion of Merit, 14 Air Medals, the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the Vietnam Honor Medal. In retirement, Lee was director of support services for The Analytic Sciences Corporation (TASC), a Northrop Grumman subsidiary. He also devoted many years to volunteer service, including as Chair of the Washington, D.C. chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives). Lee was a devoted member of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, MD., where he served as Senior Warden and oversaw many capital projects. He especially loved to tend the church gardens. Just prior to his death, Lee celebrated with Trudy the 65th anniversary of his graduation from West Point. He was the President of the West Point Class of 1949 Association and relished in getting together with life-long friends and their families at his beloved alma mater. He lived every day honoring the West Point motto of DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY.

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