As we celebrate Flag Day and the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777 by Congress, Lori Bailey is learning more about her grandfather’s accomplishments as both a soldier and an individual. His plane was shot down by enemy fire in 1944. (Photo by Lori Bailey)
Long-forgotten Mementos Unpack Soldier’s Personal, Military History
By DARLA M. YOUNGSONEONTA
"I found these fascinating treasures in a box of things left behind by my grandmother, Gertrude Fuller, when she passed. They are pictures and letters from my grandfather when he was overseas fighting in World War II,” wrote Lori Bailey in a recent e-mail.
Sgt. Harold L. Fuller was a rear gunner pilot killed in action in 1944. According to Bailey, his final mission was aboard a B-24 Dogpatch Raider on February 3, 1944. There were 53 ships out of the 193 Airborne that abandoned their mission over Zuiderzee due to high cloud cover. The B24 41-24192 (Sgt. Fuller’s plane) was struck by enemy fire and crashed at the Royal Air Force station in Hardwick, England, killing nine of the 10 aboard.
