Introduction
While on a motorcycle ride to the
Veterans Administration hospital in Kerrville, Texas I had the pleasure of
meeting Mr. Virgil C. Dabney, a WWI veteran now at 101 years old with strong
memories of his childhood friend Hurley Fuller.
What started out as a few simple recollections by Mr. Dabney during that
visit became my personal research project to find out as much as possible about
his childhood friend Hurley Fuller.
Primarily, Mr. Dabney has
recollections of his childhood years growing up in Center Point, Texas and his
idol Hurley’s exploits in the military. One of Mr. Dabney’s vivid memories was a story Hurley had
told him about his capture during WW-II and his subsequent escape.
Mr. Dabney recalls Hurley told him he wore a uniform of the German Army
or an Axis power to assist with the escape.
Upon his return to US Service after his escape, Mr. Dabney also recalls
Hurley indicating he was severely reprimanded or possibly court-martialed for
wearing the uniform of the enemy.
So, from this tidbit of information,
the research began to find out what really occurred.
What follows is a compilation of information gathered along the way.
Some of the content may be interesting to some, boring to others.
However, it’s all part of the life of COL. Hurley E. Fuller, Mr.
Dabney’s best childhood friend.
Information that remains unknown is noted in italics.
Where others have provided material, credit has been noted where known.
This is not meant to be a 100% recreation of every event of COL.
Fuller’s life and military career. The
reader must bear in mind the document started out as a simple request to find
out what occurred to Mr. Dabney’s childhood friend, COL. Fuller and the events
surrounding his capture in WWII.
Mr. Dabneys recollections of Hurley Fuller
The initial recollections Mr. Dabney
provided of his childhood friend Hurley Fuller included:
- Hurley
was 4 years older. (Hurley is actually 5 days shy of 5 years older then Mr.
Dabney)
- Hurley’s
parents separated at some point. (Not
confirmed but COL. Hurley Fuller indeed separated and remarried…)
- Hurley’s
mother Delia worked a ‘scrub-board’ in Center Point, Texas
(Not confirmed)
- Hurley’s
favorite saying was “Pray for me”.
- Went
to school with Hurley in Center Point, Texas up to the age of 14.
- Hurley
could always catch more fish then anyone.
- While
hunting, Hurley could find the squirrels quicker then the dogs.
- Hurley
entered the University of Texas, then joined the ARMY and was involved in
trench war in France.
- Hurley
wore a uniform of the enemy to escape from captivity.
Family / Relationships
COL. Hurley E. Fullers father
was John Franklin Fuller, born 09/24/1859, died 11/23/1932.
He is buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio next to
his wife, Delia Kelly Fuller. He is
in section PC, grave #20 and is listed as a “Dependent/Father” in the
internment records. Date of
internment was 11/26/1932. This
information was gathered from a site visit to the grave on 02/06/2001, review of
internment records and a photograph taken.
See Appendix A and
Photos.
COL. Hurley E. Fullers mother
was Delia Kelly Fuller, born 03/12/1872, died 04/07/1952.
She is buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio next to
her husband, John Franklin Fuller. She
is in section PC, grave #21 and is listed as a “Dependent/Mother” in the
internment records. She is also
listed as PVT US ARMY from Appendix A. Date
of internment was 04/09/1952. This
information was gathered from a site visit to the grave on 02/06/2001, review of
internment records and a photograph taken.
See Appendix A and
Photos.
COL. Hurley E. Fuller (the subject
of the research, aka: COL. Fuller) was born in Center Point, Texas (Kerr County)
on 11/27/1894 as confirmed by a search on the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
database and inscription on his headstone.
However, when the University of Texas was queried via e-mail about his
college attendance, they indicated his birth year as 1895.
According to the 1910 Kerr County
Federal Census, (Texas) COL. Fuller had three siblings including Grady T, male,
age 10, Hazel F, female, age 13 and Violet K, female, age 7.
The census also included Hurley, male age 15 and Delia, female age 38.
As noted above, Delia was COL. Fuller’s mother.
Mr. Dabney also confirmed this census report as he is listed in the same
Kerr county census under the Dabney family name.
See Appendix
B.
The 1920 Kerr County census listed
Delia, female, Doll, female age 26, Grady T, male and Violet K, female.
COL. Fuller was not listed in the 1920 census.
At this time it remains unknown who Doll is.
Subsequent conversations with Mr. Dabney provide no additional
information as to her identity. See
Appendix C.
COL. Fuller married Nell Francis
Hodges 01/15/1918 according to a conversation on 02/06/2001 with Dorothy
(Hodges) Howard of San Antonio, Texas. Nell
Francis Hodges was an Aunt of Dorothy Hodges who referenced her family tree
album for this information.
Hurley E. Fuller Jr. (COL. Fullers
son) was born 12/04/1918 according to the SSDI database and a conversation on
02/06/2001 with Dorothy (Hodges) Howard of San Antonio, Texas and Betty (Hodges)
Burney of Center Point, Texas. His parents were COL. Fuller and Nell Francis Hodges.
According to the Texas Birth General Records,
a “Hurley Joseph Fuller” was born on 04/16/1940 in Smith county Texas to
Edith Louise Pugh and Ophelus Joe Fuller. This
person’s relationship to COL. Fuller or Hurley Fuller Jr. remains unknown and
none of the Hodges relationships know of this person.
Therefore, at this time he is not regarded to be of relation to the
Fullers of Center Point based on follow-up conversations with Mr. Dabney and the
Hodges.
Hurley Fuller Jr. may have been
married for a brief period around WW-II according to Dorothy (Hodges) Howard
of San Antonio, Texas. Her
recollections are a “very brief marriage to a woman with the first name of
Dorothy”. To the best of her
recollection, he did not have any children by this marriage.
According to Hurley Fuller Jr’s headstone, he was a 2nd LT,
US ARMY in WWII.
COL. Fuller divorced Nell Francis
Hodges on 09/08/1962 according to Dorothy Howard (Hodges) of San Antonio, Texas
and Betty (Hodges) Burney of Center Point, Texas.
COL. Fuller remarried Mabel B. maiden
name unknown/marriage date unknown. She
was born 11/16/1904, and died 08/23/1995. She
is buried next to her husband, COL. Fuller at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery,
San Antonio Texas. She is in
section PC, grave #43. Internment
records indicate her as “Dependent/Wife”.
Date of internment of 08/28/1995. Information
gathered from a site visit to Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery on 02/06/2001,
photo taken and review of internment records.
See Appendix A and
Photos.
Nell Francis Hodges (COL. Fullers first wife) died 09/09/1962 and is
buried in the Center Point cemetery, Center Point (Kerr county) Texas.
Confirmed by a site visit to the cemetery on 02/06/2001 and photograph
taken. See Photos.
COL. Fuller died in Bexar county
Texas (presumably at Audy Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio from Mr. Dabney’s
recollection of visiting him at that hospital in early 1975) on 04/29/1975 as
confirmed by the SSDI database. He
is buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio on 05/02/1975 and
is located in section PC, Grave #42 as confirmed by a call to Mr. Joe Ramos at
Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery and site visit on 02/06/2001 with a photo
taken of the headstone. His rank
was listed as “COL.” on the headstone in addition to service in WW-I,
WW-II and Korea. See Appendix A and
Photos.
Hurley E. Fuller Jr. died on
06/05/1994 as confirmed by the SSDI database.
His last residence was noted as Scottsdale (Maricopa county) Arizona (SSDI)
and confirmed by a conversation with Dorothy (Hodges) Howard of San Antonio
Texas on 02/06/2001. He was cremated and buried in the same plot with his mother
(Nell Francis Hodges, COL. Fullers first wife) in the Center Point cemetery,
Center Point (Kerr county) Texas. This
information was provided by the Center Point cemetery caretaker Mr. Guy Burney,
his wife Betty (Hodges) Burney in addition to a site visit on 02/06/2001 and
photo taken. See Photos.
College
COL. Fuller was enrolled at the
University of Texas in Austin, Texas and attended from the Fall of 1913 to the
Spring of 1916 as confirmed by email from UT/Austin Office of the Registrar.
No degree was awarded from the University of Texas system according to
the e-mail.
There has been some discussion regarding COL.
Fuller graduating from West Point with a commission.
After several e-mails with the Association Of Graduates (AOG) at West
Point, they have no record of a Hurley E. Fuller attending or graduating from
their institution. Also, the two West Point classes that graduated in 1917 were
commissioned on 20 April and 30 August of that year.
Jack Forgy provided information contained in McDonald’s
book, A Time for Trumpets that states Fuller went to Officer
Candidate School (OCS) which tracks with his one-year of enlisted service.
Military Service
WWI
According to Mr. Jack Forgy, Fuller joined the Army on 17 May 1916 and was commissioned on 23 Mar 1917
(during WWI). It
is possible and very likely Fuller received a "battlefield commission"
granted to soldiers who demonstrated leadership under fire during this period.
According to Mr. Dabney,
COL. Fuller was in WW-I and fought trench warfare in France.
A small excerpt written by CPT. (at that time) Fuller has been located
from a USMC web site. The URL is:
http://www.doctrine.quantico.usmc.mil/history/122/ch22.pdf
This excerpt is noted in four scans which can
be seen from the Documents tab. The timeframe
(Aug 1918/WWI) and theater (France) appear to be correct for COL. Fuller to have
written this document for training purposes.
It is not uncommon for members of one service branch to provide
information to another service branch for training purposes such as this case
appears. It is interesting to note
that Fuller had achieved the rank of CPT. when this was written and later
achieving the rank of COL.
This document
indicates CPT. Fuller was part of the 3rd BN, 47th
Infantry Regiment which according to Mr. Jack Forgy would have put CPT. Fuller
in the 9th Division