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Bud Fuller was presented with awards and citations as part of the Bud Fuller Appreciation dinner given at the Elks Lodge. He was honored with awards presented by the ER Rob Kitlen, Margaret Edwards and the American Legion. The Presidential Citation for serving in World War II was presented by
Fuller’s grandson Taylor Jennings, presently a chief in the U.S. Navy.
Fuller began his service at an early age. When he was a teenager at the start of World War II, he worked for Western Union delivering telegrams. His job became overwhelming at one point when he had to deliver many telegrams from the War department to the families of fallen heroes. He said he
dreaded those telegrams, especially since he knew so many of the families.
When he was 17, he enlisted in the Navy and served until the end of World War II on board the aircraft carrier the USS Bennington. He survived a typhoon which damaged the flight deck of the Bennington and finally made it home to family and friends.
Over the years Fuller has continued to make sure that he paid respect to all of the Armed Forces. He has donated his time and services to service men and women at home and overseas. He spent many years visiting the veteran’s hospitals of Oklahoma and raising funds for various projects. He has been an active and enterprising member of the community. He is a lifetime member of the Elks Lodge and the American Legion.
Upon retirement, Fuller turned his so called “hobby” into a vehicle for raising funds for the Blue Star Mothers and other organizations. He has created replicas of motorcycles from wood and painstakingly painted them red, white, and
blue to represent Armed Forces. He has provided over 350 of these motor-
cycles to support U.S. Troops.
There has been a member of the Fuller Family in every war or conflict since before the American Revolution. Fuller’s ancestors helped settle Yorktown, Va., and
founded Richmond, Va. They were part of the Volunteer Militia. The Fuller legacy of serving and defending the country has been handed down to Fuller’s children and grandchildren. Presently Fuller has three grandsons serving in the military, a U.S. Navy chief, a U.S. Army captain and a U.S. Army combat medic currently serving in Afghanistan. Fuller has one daughter who served with the U.S. Navy Fleet Hospital.
