Fuelling, Harold F.

HAROLD FRED FUELLING

STAFF SERGEANT
U.S. ARMY

Harold Fred Fuelling was born on March 20, 1919, to Henry W. and Louise (Kukelhan) Fuelling. Henry and Louise had seven children: Wilbert, Lawrence, Helen, Marvin, Edward, and a sister, Helen. Edward and Marvin died shortly after they were born. The family was from the Marion Township in Allen County, Indiana but moved to Adams County in 1927. Harold graduated from Monmouth High School in 1938 and was an active member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church. His brother, PFC Lawrence Fuelling served as an anti-tank gunner in the European Theatre. 

As hostilities grew in Europe, Harold was drafted, along with 67 other young men from Adams County, into the United States Army on April 19, 1941. This large group were some of the first men from Adams County to be inducted through the draft. He went to training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi; Camp Carrabelle, Florida; and Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Harold was a Staff Sergeant in the 152nd Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division. The 38th "Cyclone" Division was nicknamed the "Avengers of Bataan," for recognition to their contribution in liberating the Philippines from the Japanese. He was sent overseas in December of 1943 and participated in combat duty in Hawaii, New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon. During the battle on Bataan, Fuelling earned his first Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant for his "extraordinary service as a valiant soldier in the battle of Zig Zag Pass which opened another route to Manila" according to a June 5, 1945 article in the Decatur Daily Democrat. 

Harold was killed in action on May 18, 1945 during the Battle of Luzon. A letter written by Chaplain Cullen Jones described the moment of his death, "He was in the company's perimeter atop Twin Peak Mt. in the vicinity of Baranka Riza' Province when a heavy enemy barrage was being laid down by the enemy and a shell exploded near him, killing him instantly. SSgt. Fuelling was interred in the U.S. Armed Forces Cemetery No. 2, Plot L Row 17 Grave 98, in Manila, Philippines. 

PFC Herbert Ehlerding was also a member of the 38th Infantry Division and was killed in the same battle eleven days earlier on May 7, 1945.

For his service and sacrifice, Staff Sergeant Fuelling earned the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal, American Theatre Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal. SSgt Fuelling also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Information researched and collected by Meghan Quinn, 2014. 

SOURCES

"American Battle Graves Archive Directory."American Battle Graves Archive Directory. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

“Decatur Daily Democrat 5 June 1945 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana’s Digital Historic Newspaper Program.” Newspapers.library.in.gov, newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=DCDD19450605.1.1&srpos=2&e=------194-en-20--1--txt-txIN-Harold+Fuelling----1945--. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Employees of the Decatur Daily Democrat, comp. Veterans of the Bi-State Area. Marceline: D-Books Publishing Inc., 2010. Print. Indiana Historical Bureau, comp.

Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.

"Henry W Fuelling." Henry W Fuelling. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

SUPPLEMENTARY

Lawrence Fuelling Oral History Interview