[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14438]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING EARL L. FULLER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM REED

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2016

  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Earl L. Fuller, who 
served our country during World War II.
  Mr. Fuller enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 1941 at the age of 
27. He was assigned to the 10th Signal Corps of the 31st Infantry, 
which was operating in the Pacific Theater. When the Japanese Army 
invaded the island of Corregidor, Mr. Fuller was taken captive. He 
spent a total of three years and four months as a prisoner of war.
  While a prisoner, Mr. Fuller befriended a Japanese guard who wanted 
to learn English. The two men played baseball together and formed an 
unlikely friendship. The guard helped deliver oranges and small fish to 
the American prisoners--the only food they had to eat besides rice.
  Mr. Fuller escaped from the prison camp near the end of the war. As 
he fled from his captors, he saw the guard who he had befriended. Mr. 
Fuller saluted the guard, who returned the gesture. Although the two 
men would never see each other again, the guard's compassion had a 
lasting impact on Mr. Fuller.
  Mr. Fuller's courage and respect for the human spirit transcended the 
political and cultural boundaries of his time. Despite the horrors of 
war, his courage and optimism shined through the darkness and 
demonstrated the best of the human spirit.
  Mr. Fuller did not tell his incredible story until 2007, when he was 
93 years old. He passed away in 2010 in Penn Yan, New York.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and service of 
Earl L. Fuller--an American hero with a truly remarkable story.

                          ____________________