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Friday, December 27, 2024 at 12:38 AM

Fulton was roundball champion in Vietnam

Augustus Amos “Gus” Fulton Jr. is a champion basketball player.

Now retired and living in Anchorage, Alaska for over 45 years, he recounts the rough and tumble, scrappy, streetball style play with more than a dozen games. He remembers cheering and celebrating with his teammates as they won the championship title in 1967.

All those things are pretty normal reactions for someone who achieved success on the basketball court, except for one thing. Fulton earned his title with his teammates while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam.

Fulton grew up in and around Blackshear and graduated from Lee Street High School. They won the basketball state championships in 1954 and 1955.

He enlisted in the Airforce in December 1960 and served for 20 years retiring at the end of 1979. He attained the rank of master sergeant and served as an air transportation superintendent.

During his service, Fulton was sent to Vietnam as conflict broke out there and America became involved in the war in the mid-1960s and early -1970s.

Fulton and his unit were assigned to Cam Rahn Air Force Base, one of the most important and strategic American bases throughout the war.

“War is a terrible thing. We were overseas and we were away from our homes and our families, but we had a job to do,” Fulton said.

The base was never attacked while he and his men were there and it remained under American control throughout the time of the U.S. involvement in the war.

While soldiers have work to do in making sure they are ready for the fight, there was also downtime for Fulton and his fellow airmen.

That downtime was filled by fun and games — particularly basketball.

“Our commander would sometimes make up schedules for us to play and bring in guys from the other bases to take us on,” he said.

Fulton played point guard and his jersey number was 22. The contests would be played on base.

“Sometimes they were fellow Air Force units, sometimes they were Army and other branches of the service,” he said.

Fulton said there was no real strategy or game plans to the contest.

“All of us were already physically fit from our training,” he said. “We just passed around the ball and played to win. It was just good old fashioned street ball.”

One of the players was even famous — or at least had a famous name.

“We played against a Thomas Jefferson from one of the other bases,” he said.

Typically, the season was 15-20 games and that was the case in 1966, the year Fulton’s team won it all.

“We had a good point guard and played well together, and we were able to win the championship,” he said.

Fulton and his teammates held on to those memories and finished their tours of duty.

Fulton was an accomplished airman earning a small arms expert marksmanship ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal, AF Commendation Medal, AF Longevity Award Ribbon with four devices, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, AF Outstanding Unit Medal with One Device, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and AF Good Conduct Medal with Five Oak Clusters.

He eventually came back to the states and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education from Savannah State University in 1967. After retirement, he attended and graduated from Alaska Pacific University with a Master’s Degree in Education.

Fulton taught school. During his career, he was a physical education teacher at a school for individuals with special needs and behavioral issues. It was one of his favorite jobs ever.

Now age 85 and fully retired, Fulton enjoys watching local basketball games and visiting with family. He has been a booster for the University of Alaska Anchorage for over 40 years.

Fulton and his late wife, Dorothy, have three children and nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. The Fultons had been married 66 years at the time of her death.


<p>Augustus Amos “Gus” Fulton Jr. is a champion basketball player. Fulton played on Lee Street High’s state championship teams in the 1950s and with his fellow soldiers while serving in Vietnam, above.</p>

<p>Augustus Amos “Gus” Fulton Jr. is a champion basketball player. Fulton played on Lee Street High’s state championship teams in the 1950s and with his fellow soldiers while serving in Vietnam, above.</p>

<p>Augustus Amos “Gus” Fulton Jr.</p>

<p>Augustus Amos “Gus” Fulton Jr.</p>


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