CULLODEN, WV, USA U.S. Marines CPL, 2D RECON, RCT-5, 2D MAR DIV, CAMP LEJEUNE, NC BAMC, SAN ANTONIO 05/18/2006
William Bradley Fulks was a spring baby – born to mother, Kimberly, and father, William the first week of May. He grew up in the area around Ona and Milton, Cabell County, West Virginia.
Brad was a multi-faceted youth proving himself both a scholar and an athlete. He graduated with honors from Cabell Midland High School in 2001. Always an active lad, he excelled in many sports, including basketball, football, baseball, and track for the “CM Knights.” A gifted pugilist, Brad also competed in the Golden Gloves Boxing Championship as a member of the Milton Boxing Club. In the process, he earned two State Championships.
He went on to Marshall University after graduation. The classroom, however, could not contain his bold spirit. Following his family’s military tradition, Brad enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After extensive training, he deployed to Afghanistan for several months in 2004 with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines. Brad took up more advanced training when he returned to the states. In April 2006, he shipped out to Al Anbar, Iraq with the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion.
An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated beneath his Humvee on 1 May near Fallujah, Iraq. The blast inflicted second and third degree burns over 60 percent of his body. Corporal Fulks also sustained massive internal injuries. Brad succumbed to his wounds on Thursday, 18 May 2006 – just three days after his 23rd birthday.
His fellow Marines universally liked and respected him. Marine Corporal Jeff D. Elmore, speaks of Brad as “. . . always the guy with a beer or a song for me when I was bored or had a bad day.” First Lieutenant, Tommy Waller was Brad’s Recon Platoon Commander in Iraq. In a memorial tribute to his fallen comrade, Lieutenant Waller recalled a quiet and humble professional. “It was easy for me to tell that the men in the platoon felt comfortable around Brad whether out in town or outside the wire – they felt protected.”
County bridge number 06-23-1.15 (10460) sits at Yates Crossing in Cabell County where Brad spent his pre-Marine Corps years. In response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 36 and House Concurrent Resolution No. 32, West Virginia has designated that landmark as the “Cpl. William Bradley Fulks Memorial Bridge.” This is a small but lasting token of the state’s appreciation and gratitude for Brad’s ultimate sacrifice.
Semper Fidelis, Marine!