WRITTEN ON PARK SIGN: 

Lance Corporal Steven B. Sutton, 24, of Leesburg, Ga., was killed in action May 26, 2012 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1^stBattalion, 8^thMarine Regiment, 2^ndMarine Division, II Marine Expeditionary force, Camp LeJeune, NC. He was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal, The Combat Action Ribbon, The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, The Afghanistan Campaign Medal, The Global War on Terrorism Medal, The National Defense Service Medal and the NAO Medal.

“Lance Corporal Sutton gave all he had-his life-in a violent country a half a world away to protect his wife and daughter, his family, his friends, his acquaintances and millions of people he had never met back here in America. His sacrifice embodies a familiar quote by Jesus in the New Testament: “Greater Love Hath No Man than This That a Man Lay Down His Life for His Friends” (Albany Herald article June 4, 2012) 

Albany Herald article 12/13/2016

LEESBURG — Lee County officials and residents honored one of their most cherished sons as the community came together Tuesday morning to dedicate a new park and boat landing area as Sutton’s Landing Park, in memory of Marine Lance Cpl. Steven “Big Steve” Sutton, who lost his life while serving in Afghanistan nearly five years ago.

Dozens of public officials were hand at the landing — located off U.S. Highway 19 along the Kinchafoonee Creek at the Lee County Line — to pay their respects and officially open the park. Included among the dignitaries were Lee County Commissioners Greg Frich, Rick Muggridge and Dennis Roland; state Sen. Greg Kirk; Kenneth Cutts, an aide to U.S. Congressman Sanford Bishop; Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany commander Col. James Carroll, and Leesburg City Council members Judy Powell and Billy Breeden.

“This is indeed a great day in Lee County because from today and forever more, this space will be known as Sutton’s Landing Park,” said Muggridge during welcoming remarks. “And that is a great thing for our citizens and our community. The (community) will turn this into a park where people will literally enjoy the freedom and the liberty that Steve sacrificed for. And that’s completely appropriate and good.”

Members of the Sutton family, including Sutton’s widow, Toni Sutton, his mother, Sue Ethridge, his father, Gene Sutton, and his grandmother ,Bobbi Ford, were also on hand, joining friends and neighbors in remembering the sacrifice Sutton made for his country, as well as remembering the man himself.

“(This park dedication) meant a lot to me,” said Toni Sutton. “When I heard about it, it was a big honor to me, and I know that it would be an honor to him because he loved the water.

“He loved to be near the water, in the water, on a boat, fishing, anything he could do where he could be near the water. His dad lives on the river, so when we would come home that’s the first thing he’d want to do is get on a boat. He’d have said, ‘Dang, that’s cool.’”

Toni Sutton also said the new park meant a lot to the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, Aubrey, who couldn’t attend the ceremony because she was in school.

“I can’t wait ‘til it all gets done and be able to see it all and bring our daughter down here,” Toni Sutton said.

Although he said he felt like his son might have been somewhat embarrassed about people making a fuss over him, Sutton’s father said his son would have liked the park and would have enjoyed spending time there.

“He would have thought it was too big a deal, but he would have loved it,” said Gene Sutton. “He went swimming, fishing boating all the time.”

Despite the pride he felt knowing his son was being honored by the landing, Gene Sutton said it was always difficult when something like this comes up, even though it ultimately is a good thing.

“It’s sad in a way, but it makes me think that they haven’t forgot him, and it’s just as strong as it was in 2012,” said Gene Sutton. “People ain’t going to let him go. They won’t forget.”

Not forgetting Sutton, or the 23 other Lee County residents who lost their lives in combat from World War I to the present, was at the root of the decision to name the park for the fallen Marine, and fellow Marine Frich touched on that during his dedication remarks.

“We’re going to make sure you remember the sacrifices of these men,” Frich said. “We’re going to maintain the vigilance that they showed us to ensure that evil does not prevail. We’re going to stand for what is right, and this park is a reminder of all of those good things that America stands for.”Frich, who was one of the driving forces behind having the park named in Sutton’s honor, talked at length about the late Marine and reminded the audience that the young man lost his life for something he believed in.

“Steve was doing what he wanted to be doing,” said Frich. “He wanted to be with his Marines, and he wanted to be with his corpsmen. He wanted to be where he was making a difference. He wanted to be leading his Marines. He wanted to be supporting the cause. He knew the threat was real, and he had answered that call.”

The retired Marine Colonel also talked about the day he was inspired to honor Sutton’s memory, and that of the county’s other veterans, when the fallen Marine’s funeral procession rolled down Highway 19.

“Like most of you in June (the year Sutton died), I found myself lined up on Highway 19 paying my last respects to this fallen warrior, our hero, Steve Sutton,” said Frich. “And as that van of his comrades passed by, now his pallbearers, I made eye contact with a young lance corporal wearing his dress blues, and he didn’t see me, I saw him. And I could see what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He was feeling a profound sense of loss, because he had lost a dear friend and now he was going through a very difficult task of having to bury him.

“But the other thing I saw in that young Marine’s eyes was a profound sense of gratitude because he saw this whole community — and I don’t mean Leesburg, I don’t mean Lee County, I don’t mean Dougherty County, I don’t mean Albany — he saw America lining the street, all up and down Highway 19 paying their respects, giving their support to the family and showing their respect for the sacrifice that Steve made.”

Frich also offered thanks to the Lee County officials who helped make Sutton’s Landing a reality, including Jim Wright, the head of the county’s code enforcement, Muggridge, county co-manager Mike Sistrunk, and the county’s Public Works employees who worked to fix up the landing.