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On Saturday, about 75 people gathered at College Hill Cemetery to dedicate a marker for Leatherwood, a member of the 333rd Field Artillery Battalion during World War II.
"This event shows us the gratitude and respect they have for my grandfather," said Steve Leatherwood, 54, of Amory.
Leatherwood and 10 other black soldiers escaped the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.
They were given shelter in Wereth, Belgium, but someone betrayed them to the Nazis.
Known as "The Wereth Eleven," they were tortured and killed on Dec. 17, 1944. Leatherwood was 22.
His body was returned to Pontotoc in 1947. Records show he was buried at College Hill Cemetery but there was no marker.
Jimmie Mae Leatherwood, 68, of Tupelo, never met her father. Her aunts and uncles showed her where he was buried.
"It was between two cedar trees," she said. "They're stumps now."
Steve Cole of Collierville, Tenn., learned of "The Wereth Eleven" a couple of years ago, and visited Pontotoc during the summer of 2011 in hopes of finding the grave. He contacted The Pontotoc Progress and the Pontotoc County Historical Society, setting wheels in motion that led to Saturday's memorial.
"His name is on the marker for veterans on the square in Pontotoc, but people didn't know what happened. He could've fallen off a truck," Cole said. "Now, you know the story."
scott.morris@journalinc.com