Jump to content

Willie H. Fuller: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
AfD: Nominated for deletion; see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Willie H. Fuller.
→‎Military career: since no one else seems to have noticed...
(97 intermediate revisions by 12 users not shown)
Line 3: Line 3:
<!-- Once discussion is closed, please place on talk page: {{Old AfD multi|page=Willie H. Fuller|date=20 September 2021|result='''keep'''}} -->
<!-- Once discussion is closed, please place on talk page: {{Old AfD multi|page=Willie H. Fuller|date=20 September 2021|result='''keep'''}} -->
<!-- End of AfD message, feel free to edit beyond this point -->
<!-- End of AfD message, feel free to edit beyond this point -->
{{Short description|American soldier in the Tuskegee Airmen}}
'''Willie Howell Fuller ("Will")''' (August 2, 1919 – January 15, 1995) was a [[U.S. Army Air Force]]/[[U.S. Air Force]] officer, combat fighter pilot, and combat flight instructor with the [[332nd Fighter Group]]'s 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the [[Tuskegee Airmen]] or "Red Tails". He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.<ref name=CAF2>{{cite web|title=Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster |url=https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/|website=CAF Rise Above|publisher=CAF Rise Above|access-date=11 August 2020}}</ref>
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Captain
| name = Willie H. Fuller
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = English
| image = File:Willie_H._Fuller_photo.jpeg
| image_size = 150px
| alt =
| caption = Willie H. Fuller
| birth_date ={{birth date|1919|08|02}}
| death_date ={{Death date and age|1995|01|03|1919|08|02}}
| birth_place = [[Tarboro, North Carolina]] US
| death_place = [[Opa-locka, Florida]] US
| placeofburial = Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, Opa-locka, Florida.
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| alma_mater = [[Tuskegee Institute]] Bachelor's degree Mechanical Industries
| nickname = Will
| birth_name = George L. Knox II
| allegiance = [[United States of America]]
| branch = [[United States Army Air Force]]
| serviceyears = 1942–1947
| rank = Captain
| servicenumber = <!--Do not use data from primary sources such as service records.-->
| unit = [[332nd Fighter Group]]
| commands =
| battles =
| awards = {{Plainlist |
* [[Congressional Gold Medal]]
* [[Air Medal (United States)|Air Medal with oak leaf cluster]]
}}
| spouse = Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller
| relations =
| laterwork =
| signature =
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
'''Willie Howell Fuller ("Will")''' (August 2, 1919 – January 3, 1995) was a [[U.S. Army Air Force]]/[[U.S. Air Force]] officer,<ref name="TampaT19841225"/> combat fighter pilot, and combat flight instructor with the [[332nd Fighter Group]]'s 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the [[Tuskegee Airmen]] or "Red Tails". He was the first black flight instructor for the single engine planes at Tuskegee. He was the only black [[flight instructor]] until December 1944.<ref name="TAC" /> He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.<ref name="CAF2" /> He flew 76 combat missions.<ref name="Fleming" /><ref name="MiamiH19950104"/>


On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G.<ref name=CAF2/><ref>CAF Rise Above. "Class SE-42-G." https://cafriseabove.org/artifact/class-se-42-g/</ref><ref name=WWIIMD>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery/wwii0016|title=99th Fighter Squadron Discusses Air Action Over Anzio|publisher=The World War II Multimedia Database|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref> As an original member of the 99th Fighter Squadron, Fuller became a flight instructor at Tuskegee Air Field in Fall 1944, working alongside "Chief" [[James O. Plinton Jr.]].
On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G.<ref name="CAF2" /><ref name="zwfQI" /><ref name="WWIIMD" /><ref name="Terry" /><ref name="Caver" />


As he told ''[[Scout Life|Boys' Life]]'': "Everybody figured that we could not fly and deliver under pressure. We wanted to prove that we could."<ref name="Boy's" /> He was later honored by the Dade County (FL) Aviation Department and Florida Memorial College as part of their Blacks in Aviation Celebration for his contributions to the aviation industry.<ref name="Jet" />
Fuller must not be confused with Flight Officer William A. Fuller Jr. of Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-45-E, August 4, 1945.

Fuller should not be confused with Flight Officer William A. Fuller Jr. of Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-45-E, August 4, 1945.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Fuller was born on August 2, 1919 in [[Tarboro, North Carolina]].<ref name=WWIIMD/><ref name=Avstop>{{cite web|url=http://www.avstop.com/history/tuskegeeairmen/part5.htm|title=The Tuskegee Airmen|publisher=Aviation Online Magazine|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref> Educated in the Tarboro public schools, Fuller attended [[Tuskegee Institute]], graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Industries in 1942.
Fuller was born on August 2, 1919 in [[Tarboro, North Carolina]].<ref name="WWIIMD" /><ref name="Avstop" /> Educated in the Tarboro public schools, Fuller attended [[Tuskegee Institute]], graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Industries in 1942. <ref name="dZnYJ" />


Following his military service, Fuller married Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller (August 7, 1921 - September 16, 2006), who lived in LaGrange, Georgia.<ref name=Troup>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacymuseumonmain.org/|publisher=Troup County Historical Society Archives and Legacy Museum on Main}}</ref>
Following his military service, Fuller married Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller.<ref name="Cooper" />


==Military career, Tuskegee Airmen==
==Military career==
[[File:Curtiss P-40, ¾-front view, in flight (00910460 023).jpg|thumb|Fuller flew a P-40 which he named after his first wife: Ruthea.{{#tag:ref|The Tuskegee Airmen trained with the P-40 aircraft. Later the Tuskegee Airmen became known for flying the P-51 aircraft with red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.<ref name="Rice" />|group=N}}]]
On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G, receiving his wings and commission as a [[2nd Lieutenant]].<ref name=CAF2/><ref> Getty Images. "Cadet Willie Fuller." https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cadet-willie-howell-fuller-received-his-wings-and-news-photo/469325595</ref>


Fuller received a certificate for military excellence, as a Cadet Second Lieutenant, in May 1940.<ref name="Montgo19400521"/> He was a college student in December 1941, when [[Pearl Harbor attack|Pearl Harbor]] was attacked, and enlisted in the United States army shortly afterwards on March 16, 1942.<ref name="LaGrange" />
During [[World War II]], Fuller flew 76 combat missions including combat over Sicily and Italy.<ref name=Avstop/><ref name=Troup/> Fuller flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron's mission to secure [[Pantelleria]] in 1943.<ref name=Avstop/> He earned the [[Air Medal]] with oak leaf cluster.


On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G, receiving his wings and commission as a [[2nd Lieutenant]].<ref name="CAF2" /><ref name="fWch4" /><ref name="Pittsb19420815"/><ref name="Birmin19420816"/>
He named his [[P-40]] fighter "Ruthia" after his then-wife.<ref name=CSM>{{cite magazine|magazine=The Christian Science Monitor|title=The hard-won successes of pioneer black pilots|author=Thomas D. Boettcher|date=30 September 1982|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0930/093011.html}}</ref> Fuller and several of his fellow airmen posed with actress Lena Horne during her visit to Tuskegee.<ref name=Troup/>


During [[World War II]], Fuller flew 76 combat missions, including combat over Sicily and Italy.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/><ref name="Fleming" /><ref name="Lena" /> Fuller flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron's mission to secure [[Pantelleria]] in 1943.<ref name="Avstop" /> He earned the [[Air Medal]] with oak leaf cluster.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/>
In 1944, Fuller was transferred back to the United States where he served as a flight instructor in Tuskegee Army Air Field's advanced single-engine flying school.


He named his [[P-40]] fighter "Ruthea" after his first wife.<ref name="CSM" /> Fuller and several of his fellow airmen posed with actress [[Lena Horne]] during her visit to Tuskegee.<ref name="Lena" />
Fuller and several members of the 99th Fighter Squadron were invited to an upscale Atlantic City hotel. A white officer managing the event attempted to exclude Fuller from bringing his wife because the officer felt that only Fuller had earned fair treatment. Fuller relented, taking his wife to the hotel.<ref name=CSM/>


In 1944, Fuller was transferred back to the United States, where he served as a flight instructor in Tuskegee Army Air Field's advanced single-engine flying school.{{cn|date=October 2021}}
In 1947, Fuller retired from active military duty.<ref name=Avstop/> Fuller became a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.<ref name=Avstop/>

Fuller and several members of the 99th Fighter Squadron were invited to an upscale Atlantic City hotel. The officer managing the event attempted to exclude Fuller from bringing his wife because the officer felt that only Fuller had earned fair treatment. The officer relented, and Fuller took his wife to the hotel.<ref name="CSM" />

In 1947, Fuller was discharged from active military duty.<ref name="Avstop" /><ref name="MiamiH19950104"/> Fuller became a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.<ref name="Avstop" />

==Awards==
* [[Air Medal (United States)|Air Medal with oak leaf cluster]]
* [[Congressional Gold Medal]] awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006<ref name="LVefh" />
*He was honored in 1993 by the Dade County (FL) Aviation Department and Florida Memorial College’s Division of Airway and Computer Sciences for his contribution to aviation.<ref name="Jet" />


==Post-military==
==Post-military==
After moving to [[LaGrange, Georgia]] with his new wife, Fuller created the first African American owned taxi cab company there. He also taught civilian pilots how to fly.<ref name=Troup/>
After his service in the military, Fuller trained civilian pilots in North Carolina.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/> Later, he and his wife moved to [[LaGrange, Georgia]], where he created the first African American owned taxi cab company there.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/> He also taught civilian pilots how to fly.<ref name="Lena" /><ref name="MiamiH19950104"/>


Fuller and his wife left Lagrange to work with the Boy Scouts in South Florida where he served as District Executive with the South Florida Council, overseeing scouting in Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties.<ref name=Avstop/><ref name=Troup/>
By 1984, Fuller and his wife lived in Miami, Florida,<ref name="TimesR19850106"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Tale of heroic black pilots unfolds |url=https://archive.org/details/The_Times_News_Idaho_Newspaper_1984_12_23 |access-date=6 October 2021 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=The Times News |date=23 Dec 1984}}</ref> having left Lagrange to work with the Boy Scouts in South Florida; he would serve as District Executive with the South Florida Council, overseeing scouting in Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties.<ref name="Avstop" /><ref name="Lena" /><ref name="Boy's" /><ref name="MiamiH19950104"/> He retired in 1982.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/>


==Death==
==Death==
Fuller died on September 16, 2006 at the age of 85. He was interred at the Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, [[Opa-locka, Florida]].
Fuller died of a heart attack on January 3, 1995, at the age of 75.<ref name="MiamiH19950104"/> He was interred at the Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, [[Opa-locka, Florida]].{{cn|date=October 2021}}


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Tuskegee Airmen]]
*[[List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes]]
*[[List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes]]
*[[List of Tuskegee Airmen]]
*[[List of Tuskegee Airmen]]
Line 45: Line 95:


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|group=N}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="TimesR19850106">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86563510/exhibit-honors-lonely-eagles/
| date = 1985-01-06
| page = 19
| title = Exhibit Honors 'Lonely Eagles'
| newspaper = The Times Recorder
| location = Zanesville, Ohio
}}</ref><!-- Sun -->
<ref name="Montgo19400521">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86563200/cadet-officers-receive-awards/
| date = 1940-05-21
| page = 10
| title = Cadet Officers Receive Awards
| newspaper = The Montgomery Advertiser
| location = Montgomery, Alabama
}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
<ref name="MiamiH19950104">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86562769/willie-howell-fuller/
| date = 1995-01-04
| page = 22
| title = Willie Howell Fuller
| newspaper = The Miami Herald
| location = Miami, Florida
}}</ref><!-- Wed -->
<ref name="Birmin19420816">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86559833/what-negroes-are-doing/
| date = 1942-08-16
| page = 11
| title = What Negroes Are Doing
| newspaper = The Birmingham News
| location = Birmingham, Alabama
}}</ref><!-- Sun -->
<ref name="Pittsb19420815">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1926410/15-august-1942/
| date = 1942-08-15
| page = 5
| title = More Tuskegee Men Get Wings
| newspaper = The Pittsburgh Courier
| location = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
}}</ref><!-- Sat -->
<ref name="TampaT19841225">{{Cite newspaper
| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86562609/lonely-eagles-flew-to-fight-color-barr/
| date = 1984-12-25
| page = 38
| title = 'Lonely Eagles' flew to fight color barrier
| newspaper = The Tampa Tribune
| location = Tampa, Florida
}}</ref><!-- Tue -->
<ref name="TAC">{{cite web
| last1 = Haulman
| first1 = Daniel
| title = Tuskegee Airmen Chronology
| url = https://cafriseabove.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TUSKEGEE-AIRMEN-CHRONOLOGY.pdf
| website = CAF Rise above
| publisher = CAF
| access-date = 23 September 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="CAF2">{{cite web
| title = Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster
| url = https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/
| website = CAF Rise Above
| publisher = CAF Rise Above
| access-date = 11 August 2020
}}</ref>
<ref name="Fleming">{{cite book
| url = https://www.google.com/books/edition/Legendary_Locals_of_Edgecombe_and_Nash_C/cOWO-ahOKlwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Willie+H.+Fuller+tuskegee&pg=PA95
| page = 95
| title = Legendary Locals of Edgecombe and Nash Counties, North Carolina
| first1 = Monika S.
| last1 = Fleming
| year = 2013
| isbn = 9781467100441
| type = Paperback
| publisher = [[Arcadia Publishing]]
| language = English
}}</ref>
<ref name="WWIIMD">{{cite web
| url = http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery/wwii0016
| title = 99th Fighter Squadron Discusses Air Action Over Anzio
| publisher = The World War II Multimedia Database
| accessdate = 19 September 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="Terry">{{cite journal
| journal = The Retired Officer Magazine
| page = 29
| date = September 1992
| title = The Biography of Tuskegee/Chanute Airman Lieutenant Colonel William Thompson: Bill's Story - Fact Sheet: Tuskegee Airmen
| first1 = Marsha
| last1 = Terry
| isbn = 9781300238287
| location = N.p.
| language = English
}}</ref>
<ref name="Caver">{{cite book
| page = 207
| title = The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949
| first1 = Joseph
| last1 = Caver
| first2 = Jerome A.
| last2 = Ennels
| first3 = Daniel Lee
| last3 = Haulman
| year = 2011
| type = Hardcover
| publisher = [[NewSouth Books]]
| isbn = 978-1588382443
}}</ref>
<ref name="Boy's">{{cite journal
| journal = [[Scout Life|Boys’ Life]]
| page = 40
| date = February 1994
| title = Tuskegee Airmen
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wv8DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA40
| accessdate = September 24, 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="Avstop">{{cite web
| url = http://www.avstop.com/history/tuskegeeairmen/part5.htm
| title = The Tuskegee Airmen
| publisher = Aviation Online Magazine
| accessdate = 19 September 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="Cooper">{{cite book
| last1 = Cooper
| first1 = Ann
| last2 = Cooper
| first2 = Charlie
| title = Tuskegee's Heroes
| date = 1996
| publisher = MBI Publishing Company
| location = Osceola, Wisconsin
| page = 35
| isbn = 9781610607605
| url = https://www.google.com/books/edition/Tuskegee_s_Heroes/Ne5nMaxDYbcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=willie+fuller+married+dunson&pg=PA35&printsec=frontcover
| access-date = 30 September 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="Rice">Rice, Markus. [http://logicalthinker2.tripod.com/Tuskegeeaircraft.html "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters."] ''Tuskegee Airmen'', 1 March 2000.</ref>
<ref name="LaGrange">{{cite news
| last1 = Lovejoy
| first1 = Andrea
| title = Willie Fuller; LaGrange's Tuskegee airman
| url = https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/16993293/lagrange-daily-news-matchbin
| access-date = 30 September 2021
| publisher = LaGrange Daily News
| date = 13 January 2012
}}</ref>
<ref name="CSM">{{cite magazine
| magazine = [[The Christian Science Monitor]]
| title = The hard-won successes of pioneer black pilots
| author = Thomas D. Boettcher
| date = 30 September 1982
| url = https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0930/093011.html
}}</ref>
<ref name="Lena">{{cite book
| last1 = Ralston Major
| first1 = Glenda
| last2 = Clark Johnson, III
| first2 = Forrest
| last3 = Lanning Minchew
| first3 = Kaye
| title = LaGrange
| date = 2011
| publisher = Arcadia Publishing
| location = Charleston South Carolina
| isbn = 978-0-7385-8768-4
| page = 90
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RK4aZV41-8sC&q=lena+horne+willie+fuller&pg=PA90
| access-date = 30 September 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="Jet">{{cite journal
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sboDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22
| date = March 29, 1993
| page = 22
| title = Scholarships in Honor of Blacks in Aviation Given at Florida College
| journal = [[Jet (magazine)]]
| accessdate = September 24, 2021
}}</ref>
<ref name="zwfQI">CAF Rise Above. "Class SE-42-G." https://cafriseabove.org/artifact/class-se-42-g/</ref>
<ref name="dZnYJ">{{Citation
| title = A Brief Moment in LaGrange's History: Tuskegee Airman Willie Fuller
| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K73NmeRE1s
| language = en
| access-date = 2021-09-26
}}</ref>
<ref name="fWch4">[https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cadet-willie-howell-fuller-received-his-wings-and-news-photo/469325595 Cadet Willie H. Fuller]. [[Getty Images]]</ref>
<ref name="LVefh">{{cite web
| title = Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen
| url = https://www.congress.gov/109/plaws/publ213/PLAW-109publ213.pdf
| website = Congress.gov
| publisher = US Library of Congress
| date = 11 April 2006
| access-date = 23 September 2021
}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K73NmeRE1s A Brief Moment in LaGrange's History: Tuskegee Airman Willie Fuller]
*[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182577495/willie-howell-fuller CPT Willie Howell “Will” Fuller] at [[Find a Grave]]


{{Tuskegee Airmen |state=autocollapse}}
{{Tuskegee Airmen |state=autocollapse}}

Revision as of 15:24, 12 October 2021

Captain

Willie H. Fuller
File:Willie H. Fuller photo.jpeg
Willie H. Fuller
Birth nameGeorge L. Knox II
Nickname(s)Will
Born(1919-08-02)August 2, 1919
Tarboro, North Carolina US
DiedJanuary 3, 1995(1995-01-03) (aged 75)
Opa-locka, Florida US
Buried
Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, Opa-locka, Florida.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Force
Years of service1942–1947
RankCaptain
Unit332nd Fighter Group
Awards
Alma materTuskegee Institute Bachelor's degree Mechanical Industries
Spouse(s)Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller

Willie Howell Fuller ("Will") (August 2, 1919 – January 3, 1995) was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer,[1] combat fighter pilot, and combat flight instructor with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". He was the first black flight instructor for the single engine planes at Tuskegee. He was the only black flight instructor until December 1944.[2] He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[3] He flew 76 combat missions.[4][5]

On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G.[3][6][7][8][9]

As he told Boys' Life: "Everybody figured that we could not fly and deliver under pressure. We wanted to prove that we could."[10] He was later honored by the Dade County (FL) Aviation Department and Florida Memorial College as part of their Blacks in Aviation Celebration for his contributions to the aviation industry.[11]

Fuller should not be confused with Flight Officer William A. Fuller Jr. of Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-45-E, August 4, 1945.

Early life

Fuller was born on August 2, 1919 in Tarboro, North Carolina.[7][12] Educated in the Tarboro public schools, Fuller attended Tuskegee Institute, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Industries in 1942. [13]

Following his military service, Fuller married Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller.[14]

Military career

Fuller flew a P-40 which he named after his first wife: Ruthea.[N 1]

Fuller received a certificate for military excellence, as a Cadet Second Lieutenant, in May 1940.[16] He was a college student in December 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and enlisted in the United States army shortly afterwards on March 16, 1942.[17]

On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.[3][18][19][20]

During World War II, Fuller flew 76 combat missions, including combat over Sicily and Italy.[5][4][21] Fuller flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron's mission to secure Pantelleria in 1943.[12] He earned the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster.[5]

He named his P-40 fighter "Ruthea" after his first wife.[22] Fuller and several of his fellow airmen posed with actress Lena Horne during her visit to Tuskegee.[21]

In 1944, Fuller was transferred back to the United States, where he served as a flight instructor in Tuskegee Army Air Field's advanced single-engine flying school.[citation needed]

Fuller and several members of the 99th Fighter Squadron were invited to an upscale Atlantic City hotel. The officer managing the event attempted to exclude Fuller from bringing his wife because the officer felt that only Fuller had earned fair treatment. The officer relented, and Fuller took his wife to the hotel.[22]

In 1947, Fuller was discharged from active military duty.[12][5] Fuller became a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.[12]

Awards

Post-military

After his service in the military, Fuller trained civilian pilots in North Carolina.[5] Later, he and his wife moved to LaGrange, Georgia, where he created the first African American owned taxi cab company there.[5] He also taught civilian pilots how to fly.[21][5]

By 1984, Fuller and his wife lived in Miami, Florida,[24][25] having left Lagrange to work with the Boy Scouts in South Florida; he would serve as District Executive with the South Florida Council, overseeing scouting in Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties.[12][21][10][5] He retired in 1982.[5]

Death

Fuller died of a heart attack on January 3, 1995, at the age of 75.[5] He was interred at the Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, Opa-locka, Florida.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Tuskegee Airmen trained with the P-40 aircraft. Later the Tuskegee Airmen became known for flying the P-51 aircraft with red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ "'Lonely Eagles' flew to fight color barrier". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. December 25, 1984. p. 38.
  2. ^ Haulman, Daniel. "Tuskegee Airmen Chronology" (PDF). CAF Rise above. CAF. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Fleming, Monika S. (2013). Legendary Locals of Edgecombe and Nash Counties, North Carolina (Paperback). Arcadia Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 9781467100441.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Willie Howell Fuller". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 4, 1995. p. 22.
  6. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Class SE-42-G." https://cafriseabove.org/artifact/class-se-42-g/
  7. ^ a b "99th Fighter Squadron Discusses Air Action Over Anzio". The World War II Multimedia Database. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Terry, Marsha (September 1992). "The Biography of Tuskegee/Chanute Airman Lieutenant Colonel William Thompson: Bill's Story - Fact Sheet: Tuskegee Airmen". The Retired Officer Magazine. N.p.: 29. ISBN 9781300238287.
  9. ^ Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome A.; Haulman, Daniel Lee (2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949 (Hardcover). NewSouth Books. p. 207. ISBN 978-1588382443.
  10. ^ a b "Tuskegee Airmen". Boys’ Life: 40. February 1994. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Scholarships in Honor of Blacks in Aviation Given at Florida College". Jet (magazine): 22. March 29, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e "The Tuskegee Airmen". Aviation Online Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  13. ^ A Brief Moment in LaGrange's History: Tuskegee Airman Willie Fuller, retrieved September 26, 2021
  14. ^ Cooper, Ann; Cooper, Charlie (1996). Tuskegee's Heroes. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing Company. p. 35. ISBN 9781610607605. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  15. ^ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
  16. ^ "Cadet Officers Receive Awards". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. May 21, 1940. p. 10.
  17. ^ Lovejoy, Andrea (January 13, 2012). "Willie Fuller; LaGrange's Tuskegee airman". LaGrange Daily News. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Cadet Willie H. Fuller. Getty Images
  19. ^ "More Tuskegee Men Get Wings". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 15, 1942. p. 5.
  20. ^ "What Negroes Are Doing". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. August 16, 1942. p. 11.
  21. ^ a b c d Ralston Major, Glenda; Clark Johnson, III, Forrest; Lanning Minchew, Kaye (2011). LaGrange. Charleston South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-7385-8768-4. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Thomas D. Boettcher (September 30, 1982). "The hard-won successes of pioneer black pilots". The Christian Science Monitor.
  23. ^ "Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen" (PDF). Congress.gov. US Library of Congress. April 11, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  24. ^ "Exhibit Honors 'Lonely Eagles'". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. January 6, 1985. p. 19.
  25. ^ "Tale of heroic black pilots unfolds". The Times News. Associated Press. December 23, 1984. Retrieved October 6, 2021.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willie_H._Fuller&oldid=1049565350"