He was born on January 29, 1918 in Corry, Pennsylvania. He and his sister Virginia followed their parents, Francis and Hildur to Erie, an industrial city on the Lake Erie, bordering with Canada, in 1925.

He married Jean Kuhn. They had a son, Eric. Before the war, he worked as a qualified typesetter.

On February 25, 1942, he received his mobilization and showed up on the very next day, date on which he was recognized as fit for duty.

From then on he was assigned to the 1301st service unit stationed in Pennsylvania, from where, after undergoing medical examinations, he was sent to the Camp Croft infantry training center in South Carolina as a Private. He arrived at Camp Croft on 11 March 42 when he was posted to D Company, 26th ITB (Infantry Training Battalion) 8th Regiment until 22 May 42 when he was posted to company C of this same battalion.

The 26th ITB was a battalion command communications training group. Radio, telephone, line laying and repair, coding, visual signals, use of carrier pigeons maintenance of communication equipment, etc. The private FULLOM was trained as a radio operator. On July 18, 42, he was assigned to Fox Co, 2nd Bat, 1st Airborne Training Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia. On July 20, the 507th PIR was activated. The Private FULLOM was assigned on September 12 to the HQ company of the new parachute regiment.

On November 9, his wife Jean gave birth to their son Eric. The private FULLOM followed the regiment to Alliance Air Force Base, Nebraska on March 20, 43.

On July 1, 43, he had his first leave of 15 days since his incorporation. Permission during which he certainly saw his son for the first time.

In October 43, he received a promotion and became Private First Class.

At the end of November, the regiment traveled by train to Camp Shanks, New York. The train made an unannounced stop in Erie so the men could stretch their legs. What was the surprise of Robert FULLOM to discover that he was in his city. The regiment arrived at its destination on November 23, when Private First Class FULLOM was assigned to Baker Company.

The regiment remained there for 2 weeks, after which it was transferred to Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn to await embarkation for the Atlantic crossing.

This fort historically defended New York's port facilities. There is still a garrison there today.

Pfc Fullom made the crossing to England aboard the Strathnaver (P&O building which was requisitioned for the duration of the war and which participated, among other things, in the landings in North Africa and Italy) and landed in Liverpool December 16, 43.

From Scotland, the 507 was transferred to Ireland, to Portrush, where the men underwent extensive training including night jumps. In February 44, Fullom was promoted to the rank of Tech 5, corporal technician.

In March 44, the regiment was deployed near Nottingham, in a camp of pyramids shared by groups of 6 men. There, the Tech 5 Fullom followed the training to prepare for the invasion.

Map reading, field exercise, German and French lessons, first aid and finally participated on May 12 in the maneuver called Eagle. A dress rehearsal of the 82nd Airborne for d-Day.

On the 27th, shortly before D-Day, he was promoted to the rank of Tech 4. The next day, the HQ Company of the regiment and those of the 1st battalion and companies A, B and C went to Fullbeck.

There, the members of the command companies, including Fullom, studied the maps and models of the objectives assigned to them. On June 3, Fullom helped attach the containers to the C47 to which he was assigned.

On the afternoon of the 4th, Fullom and the other members of his stick equipped themselves, like all the other paratroopers before they were told that the departure was postponed to the next day due to bad weather affecting their target. On June 5, late at night, Fullom finally embarked on his destiny. At 11:50 a.m., his plane took off.

On June 15, he was pronounced dead. The personal experience of Tec 4 Fullom between June 6 and June 14, when he was killed, is not known.

 

 

We know, however, that he was parachuted near Ste-Mère Eglise at 2:30 a.m. near Drop Zone T, the starting point of his unit and that he was killed on the night of 14 near the Village of La BONNEVILLE, village on the road of the 82nd in its offensive of the 14th towards Saint-Sauveur le Vicomte.

Battle of St Sauveur le Vicomte

He had written a letter to his parents on June 7 in which he told them that he had taken part in the invasion and that he was doing well.

We can only assume, but it's a safe bet that the Tec4 Fullom after landing near St-Mère Eglise, quickly managed to join his unit, since the drop zone T assigned to his regiment was not very far, or he joins a mixed unit made up of isolated paratroopers grouping together.

Either way, he rejoined his unit before the June 14 offensive on St Sauveur.