Charles F. Fultz: Stanly County WWII Army Cook

By Matthew M. Peek, Military Collection Archivist, State Archives of North Carolina

Charles Franklin Fultz (who went by “Charlie”) was born on June 26, 1913, in Stanly County, North Carolina, to Luther Cleveland Fultz and May Ivey Fultz. Charles Fultz was the oldest of two children. Charles’ mother May Fultz died of tuberculosis on July 24, 1923, leaving Charles to later help his father support the family. By 1930, the Fultz family had come to live in the community of Harris in Stanly County, and Charles’ father Luther was working as a scale tester for the Stanly Pottery Company. By 1940, Charles Fultz had come to live in the town of New London in Stanly County.

At the time of his draft registration for World War II, Charles Fultz was working as a knitter at the Wiscasset Mill Company, a textile company, in Albemarle, North Carolina. Prior to entering military service in 1942, Charles Fultz married Doris Anne Fink on December 24, 1941, in Gaston County, North Carolina. Fultz was inducted into military service for World War II in the U.S. Army on June 11, 1942, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Fultz served overseas in the European Theater during the war. The 79th Division was involved in the D-Day invasion at Normandy, landing at Utah Beach starting on June 12, 1944. Fultz appeared to have had little involvement with the actual combat element of the 79th Division’s initial push in France.

First page of Charles Fultz’ June 7, 1944, letter home to his wife while serving as a cook with the 313th Infantry, 79th Infantry Division, U.S. Army. Letter discusses the news — without naming it — of the D-Day invasion at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944 [from Box 2, Folder 1, Charles F. Fultz Papers, WWII 37, WWII Papers, Military Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C.].

While in Europe, Fultz served with the 313th Infantry as a cook, and traveled with his unit through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. He received a Bronze Star for meritorious service in his position of a cook, having served in a manner that allowed his unit to serve in combat at a high level with successful military operations. Fultz would reach the rank of Technical Sergeant, Fourth Grade, and was honorably discharged on September 30, 1945.

After he returned from military service, Fultz returned to live in Stanly County, North Carolina. Charles F. Fultz died on June 3, 1975, and was buried in Stony Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery in Albemarle, North Carolina.

Extensive correspondence written by Charles Fultz to his family back in Stanly County has been digitized by the State Archives of North Carolina, and is available online to read for free through the digital WWII collection in the North Carolina Digital Collections (NCDC), a joint effort of the State Archives and State Library of North Carolina. Fultz’s original materials are available to view in the Charles F. Fultz Papers (WWII 37) in the WWII Papers of the Military Collection at the State Archives. The collection is available to use for free in the Search Room at the State Archives.

Resources

1. Charles F. Fultz Papers, WWII 37, WWII Papers, Military Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, N.C. Letters available online here: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/search/collection/p16062coll10/search/searchterm/Charles%20F.%20Fultz