| Place a Classified | Subscribe today | July 10, 2009 |
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Committed to serving
POCATELLO - Standing at a fence that separated East and West Germany, Marlys Fulton gained a greater appreciation for the freedom most American take for granted, and a renewed sense of pride in her own military service.
''It was just a fence and there was this young man who had been shot the night before when he tried to escape,'' said Fulton, who served with U.S. Army. ''They just left his body there until the family came to claim it. When they did, they prosecuted the family.'' Fulton also toured Camp Dakau and said much of the infamous German death camp is still in tact. ''The ovens are still there and they still stink,'' she said. ''It was just an eerie feeling to be there.''
While her military career lasted just three years, Fulton remains dedicated to the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed services. ''I served before the Women's Army Corp was abolished in 1977,'' she said. ''After that they went to combined training.''
Fulton was a member of the 440th Signal Battalion stationed in West Germany. ''I'm very proud of my service,'' she said. ''If I hadn't have joined the Army, I would have never have met my husband, Robert.''
The Fultons married 29 years ago in Copenhagen, Denmark. A copy of their marriage license hangs in the master bedroom. ''It's printed in seven languages, fortunately, English is one of them,'' Fulton said.
Robert Fulton retired from the U.S. Army after 24 years of service. He was deployed to Korea twice and did two combat tours in Vietnam. Marlys Fulton currently serves as the Pocatello Auxiliary President, District Jr. Vice President and Idaho Chief of Staff for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
''I grew up in the VFW,'' Fulton said. ''My dad served with the Marines in World War II and he was recalled for Korea.'' Fulton said the VFW, along with other service organizations, work to ensure that troops returning from the Middle East are given a heroes welcome and that they receive the support services they need. The VFW Auxiliary provides support to female troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Fulton said, fewer returning vets are getting involved in service groups. ''We're seeing people in crisis, but they're not coming and signing up,'' she said. ''Our goal at the VFW is actually to be gone at some point. If we don't have any VFW, that means no men and women are being sent to combat.''
While support services for veterans has improved since Vietnam, she said troops from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming home in worse shape. ''The Veterans Administration admitted that they weren't ready for the types of injuries they are seeing coming back from Iraq,'' Fulton said.
She said the media's focus on the negative effects of the war is discouraging to U.S. troops. ''(The media) just doesn't talk about the good things, like the schools and homes that are being rebuilt,'' Fulton said. When she's not working to promote veterans rights, Fulton enjoys crocheting, knitting and embroidering. ''And I love to play bingo at Fort Hall,'' she said. ''The most I ever won was $600, but it's fun.'' Fulton is also an Elvis Presley fan and said she owns most of the King's movies - her favorite is ''Blue Hawaii.'' ''I'm slowly transferring them all to DVD,'' she said. Fulton's work with the VFW includes serving on the Welcoming Committee, which organized homecoming services for Sgts. Blake Stephens and Nick Gummersall, both Pocatello soldiers were killed in Iraq this year. ''It really struck me to see tears roll down the faces of the Vietnam veterans who carried their caskets,'' Fulton said. ''I will support our military and troops until the day I die.'' By Debbie Bryce
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