Proud Marine, son remembered

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KANE'OHE — Joanne and David Fuller of Granville, Mass., had promised their son Travis that they would come to Hawai'i to greet him when his Marine Corps unit returned from Iraq.

Joanne Fuller, mother of fallen Marine 1st Lt. Travis J. Fuller, greeted Cpl. Bryan Morales, one of Travis' friends, following yesterday's ceremony. Joanne and David Fuller, Travis' dad, far right, accepted the Bronze Star that Travis earned in fighting last year in Fallujah. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

Yesterday his parents and sisters were at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i to help welcome his buddies home from an eight-month deployment and to accept the Bronze Star their son had earned in house-to-house fighting last year in Fallujah.

"We really wanted to greet the men," Joanne Fuller said. "We lost our son but they lost 26 of their closest friends (in the crash) and we were very worried about them. We wanted to let them know we appreciated the service that they gave."

Fuller was among 31 U.S. servicemen killed — including 26 Kane'ohe Marines and a Pearl Harbor-based Navy corpsman assigned to them — when a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter ferrying troops to support Iraqi elections crashed in western Iraq.

At the Kane'ohe Marine base yesterday, with about 1,000 members of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment looking on, the Fullers accepted their son's Bronze Star for Combat Valor.

Travis Fuller, a former high-school wrestler, and his 3rd Platoon were with the first element of Charlie Company to hit the ground in the Battle of Fallujah on Nov. 8. For six hours, Fuller and his men fought house to house through the streets of Fallujah, dodging explosions and enemy automatic-weapons fire.

"He consistently led the platoon from the front," his citation reads. Near Al Tawfiq Mosque the unit was pinned down by enemy fire. "With complete disregard for his own safety, he moved around the battlefield placing Marines in support by fire position. He then led the assault on the enemy stronghold," the citation said, killing four insurgents.

His sisters Rebecca Fuller and Jennifer Francis were also at yesterday's ceremony, along with an uncle, Joe Rowe. Rebecca Fuller recalled how her brother kidded her about thinking he could dodge bullets, but found out during his urban warfare training that he couldn't.

Joanne and David Fuller hold a photo of their son, 1st Lt. Travis J. Fuller, and the Bronze Star he was awarded posthumously. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"He really could outrun those bullets," Rebecca Fuller said. Her brother always downplayed his actions in Iraq, she said. "He was very humble about what he was doing. He knew it was important but he didn't want to brag about what he was doing."

David Fuller, Travis' father, said his son was born prematurely and nearly died. It wasn't until he entered high school before his health improved and he took up sports.

David Fuller said he was proud of his son and tries to make decisions in his life that would make his son proud of him.

"I think all of us should carry this message: We honor our Marines by our daily actions," he said.

Marines who served with 1st Lt. Fuller remember him as a humorous man and an outstanding leader, concerned for the troops under him.

"He was what Marines expect of a Marine Corps officer," said Lt. Col. Michael Ramos. Fuller will be remembered for his noble deeds and selfless, upbeat attitude, he said.

He was able to take the edge off the stress of fighting and turn every situation into a moment of laughter, said fellow Marine Adam Bonaventura. "He kept everything light-hearted and never gave into stress," Bonaventura said.

"Travis was a special guy," said Capt. Tom Tennant. "He never failed to surprise me with his humor, with his tactical proficiency and his fierce loyalty to the Marines in his company."

That is why after surviving the intense battles in Fallujah, losing him and the other men of Company C in the helicopter crash was so difficult, Tennant said. "It didn't seem fair. I can't call it anything but a heartbreak."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.