Background
Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Jr. was born April 6, 1921 to parents Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Sr. and Georgia Baucum Fulkerson in Little Rock, Arkansas. His maternal grandfather was Colonel George F. Baucum, commanding officer of the 8th Arkansas Regiment, who served in the Civil War in the Battle of Shiloh and Atlanta. He attended Little Rock High School and Sewanee Military Academy. Next, he enrolled in the University of the South for a year, then transferred to the University of Arkansas.
Wartime History
On December 7, 1941, he was home for a weekend visit in when the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced on the radio. When he returned to campus, he was recruited by a traveling aviation cadet examination board. On January 21, 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet with serial number 17052240. He attended flight training. On September 29, 1942 earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-72840. Fulkerson learned to fly the B-25 Mitchell by June 1943 and was sent overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) and flew low level combat missions for six months before requesting a transfer to fighters.
During January 1944, assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angels", 431st Fighter Squadron (431st FS) "Clover" as a P-38 Lightning pilot and flew with many famous pilots including Charles Lindbergh, Major Thomas McGuire and Major Richard I. Bong.
On February 3, 1944 took off on a mission over Wewak and claims a Ki-48 Lily over But Airfield, his first aerial victory.
On December 7, 1944 after 2:00pm took off flying as part of "Daddy Green Flight" as no. 4 wingman for no. 3 element leader Major Richard I. Bong on a mission over Ormoc Bay. At 3:05pm, Bong spotted a Sally and gave chase and shot down the bomber off the northeast tip of Bohol. Returning to Ormoc Bay Fulkerson claimed a Ki-44 Tojo shot down that exploded over Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs). Next, Bong made a head on pass against a damaged Ki-44 Tojo that crashed in the sea, the victory confirmed by Fulkerson and McGuire. Afterwards, rejoined formation and a controller vectored "Daddy Green Flight" over a damaged destroyer with a single Oscar harassing, but the plane was shot down by "Daddy White Flight" led by Champlin before they arrived.
On December 17, 1944 took off on a fighter sweep over Mindoro. Over the target, Major Richard I. Bong shoot down a Ki-43 Oscar. Fulkerson witnessed and confirmed the victory, Bong's 40th victory.
On December 25, 1944 took off piloting P-38L Lightning 44-24874 on a mission to escort B-24 Liberators bombing Mabalacat Field near Clark Field on Luzon. Near the target, intercepted by roughly 20 enemy fighters and claimed two shot down. Damaged, he force landed in a rice patty behind enemy lines and suffered a back injury but was rescued by Filipino guerrillas and later rescued by L-5.
Afterwards, he was hospitalized for six weeks in a full body cast for his back injury. By the end of World War II, promoted to the rank of Captain. In total, he flew flew 124.5 combat missions.
Aerial Victory Claims
Fulkerson was officially credited with four aerial victories. He also claimed five ground victories.
Postwar
On March 1, 1946 discharged from military service and returned home to Arkansas to manage Baucum Plantation owned by his family since 1888 while also serving in the National Guard. In 1950, he retired from military service but continued to fly as a private pilot and owned his own plane until 1972. He was also a real estate developer including the concept of office warehouses in Little Rock and was appointed to the Arkansas Plant Board by Governor Orville Faubus.
Awards
Fulkerson earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) with Oak Leaf Clusters for shooting down two planes on December 25, 1944. Air Medal for shooting down a bomber over New Guinea. He earned the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster when he was shot down and injured in 1944 and the second award when his canopy was shot off in air combat and he was injured.
Memorials
Fulkerson passed away on October 30, 2017 at age 96. He is buried at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock, AR.
Relatives
George Baucum Fulkerson (brother, Rhodes Scholar from Sewanee University who was a member of the Nuremburg Military Tribunal)
References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Floyd H. Fulkerson, Jr.
USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: Fulkerson, Floyd H. page 68 (PDF page 75)
Lightning Strikes: The 475th Fighter Group in the Pacific War, 1943-1945 (1988) pages 107-108 (December 25, 1944), 161 (index)
Stars & Bars (1995) pages 65 (475th FG, 431st FS)
Possum, Clover & Hades 475th Fighter Group in World War II (2004) pages 226 (December 7, 1944), 229-232 (December 25, 1944), 307-308 (Fulkerson aerial victories), 332 (index Fulkerson)
Flight Journal "Five-Gun Fury – Lt. Floyd Fulkerson: Wingman to the Aces" by John Dejanovich
December 2012
Flight Journal "Wingman to the Aces" by John Dejanovich December 2012
Arkansas Democrat Gazette Obituary Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Jr. November 2, 2017
Who's Next...?: Tales from the Southwest Pacific Theater in WWII (2018) biography of Fulkerson
FindAGrave -
Floyd Hurt Fulkerson Jr. (grave photo)
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