A fallen soldier missing for 67 years will be laid to rest in Toccoa on what would have been his 88th birthday Saturday, but not without public recognition in the two days prior.
Habersham County native Cpl. Terrell Junior Fuller will arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta from Hawaii about 7:15 Thursday morning, Aug. 9. Following a plane-side service by the U.S. Army National Guard Honor Guard, a motorcade including law enforcement officers, the Patriot Guard and Scouts will travel I-85, I-985 and Ga. 365 into Toccoa.
Fuller’s great-great nephew Will Grafton, currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Army and stationed at Fort Stewart, will serve as special escort.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office estimates the motorcade will pass through Habersham County around 11 a.m. Thursday, though that time will be refined on the day of the event.
Once approaching Toccoa, the motorcade will turn left onto U.S. 123 and enter the downtown area, turning left onto Broad Street, right onto Doyle Street, then right on Pond Street to Acree-Davis Funeral Home.
Volunteers began planning in June for flags on all overpasses along the route, and a roadside homecoming as the motorcade enters downtown Toccoa.
Fuller’s great-niece, Amy Ramsey Hix of Toccoa, said this week’s homecoming is a long time coming.
“It’s closure,” Hix said. “Sixty-seven years is a long time to not know where your family is.”
Doyle Street in downtown Toccoa will be the central focus for the roadside welcome.
All veterans are asked to line Doyle Street in uniform or veteran organization shirt if possible. Streets will be blocked. Parking for veterans will be available at Toccoa VFW Post 4346, located at 270 W. Savannah St.
There will be a designated place of honor for all veterans attending to stand.
Organizers Jessica Handwork and Joann Raybon are coordinating the roadside welcome and homecoming ceremony.
Additionally, there will be a reception tent at the intersection of Doyle and Sage Street, and arriving veterans are asked to stop by to be directed to their designated area.
Prayer tents will be in place for those wishing to get information on our current active military and their prayer needs, and volunteers from local churches are encouraged to help staff them.
On Friday, Aug. 10, a public visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. at Acree-Davis Funeral Home at 90 Pond St., Toccoa.
On Saturday, Aug. 11, a private graveside service for Cpl. Fuller with full military honors will be held at 11 a.m. at Stephens Memorial Gardens with the Rev. Jerrell Beatty officiating. In accordance with the family’s wishes, the cemetery will be lined by local Cub Scout packs and military personnel.
The public and veterans may stand in honor along Big A Road that morning but are asked to respect the family’s privacy and stay outside the designated privacy area during the family-only graveside memorial service.
Fuller was accounted for on April 13, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
In February 1951, Fuller was a member of Company D, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, supporting Republic of Korea Army attacks against units of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) in an area known as the Central Corridor in South Korea. After enduring sustained enemy attacks, the American units withdrew to Wonju, South Korea. It was during this withdrawal that Fuller was reported missing, as of Feb. 12, 1951.
Born in Habersham County on Aug. 11, 1930, he was the son of Marshall and Velzonia Harvey Fuller. He lived in Stephens County for several years, enlisting in the U.S. Army at age 21.
In December 1951, Fuller’s name appeared on a list provided by the CPVF and Korean People’s Army (KPA) of Allied service members who died while in their custody. Following the war, a fellow soldier from the same company reported that he had been held prisoner with Fuller but was unaware of his status.
When Fuller was not returned after the armistice, the U.S. Army declared him deceased as of Feb. 18, 1954.
Between 1990 and 1994, North Korea returned to the United States 208 boxes of commingled human remains, which were later determined to contain the remains of at least 400 U.S. servicemen who died during the war. On May 20, 1990, North Korea turned over five boxes of remains believed to be unaccounted-for servicemen from the war.
To identify Fuller’s remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome (Y-STR) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
To date, 7,691 Americans remain unaccounted for from the Korean War.
Cpl. Fuller’s name is recorded on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, along with the others who are missing from the Korean War. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Anyone with questions about how their group can participate in Thursday's homecoming ceremonies may contact Handwork at (706) 886-2665, or by email at [email protected].
