ADRIAN AND IRENE FULLER

Adrian and Irene came together to tell their stories. Adrian’s memory was helped by his having kept a diary during the war years. He told the first part of their story:

I was born January 31, 1920 on a farm northeast of Murray, the middle child of seven, born to Thomas Gilbert and Mary Rebecca Poil Fuller. My parents were very poor; we moved every year and Mom had bouts of depression. There were just too many children to take care of so when I was about 1 1/2 years old I went to live with Grandma and Grandpa (William and Rebecca) Poil. It seemed like I was always the one they could let go of the easiest. One example was when they were going to Kansas City. The older ones could go and the younger ones had to be taken so I was the one that was left home with my uncle.

I came back home to stay when I was six and stayed about two years. My aunt lost her husband who was my uncle on my mother’s side, so she invited me to come live with her. That is what I did until I had graduated from 8th grade at age 15. Dad said, "We don’t have money to send you to high school and we need you on the farm," so all three of us older boys, Rolland, Marvin and myself stayed out of school and worked on the farm. Raymond was younger. My sisters Louise, Marjorie and Helen got to go to high school.

I stayed with my aunt until I was 15. We moved to the Lacelle area in the spring of 1936, and in 1937 I worked for Tom Siefkas for $1 a day. In fall of ’38 I worked on a farm with Paul Selsor near Davenport. In the fall of 1938-1939 I decided to go to the wheat fields in South Dakota and worked near Jamestown and clear up to Rider, North Dakota. I was then 19 and this guy wanted me and another fellow to stay up there to take care of about 900 head of wild horses out in the open. I wrote and told my mom and she had a fit. "You don’t need to do that. You get home!"

So I came home and in 1939 I worked for my sister and her husband, Doyle and Louise Hendrickson who lived close to Dad at Lacelle. They had moved to the Charlie Hand place in 1940 and I started farming there. In 1941 I started working for Dad for $20 a month and board and stayed there through 1941 and into 1942 when, in September I was inducted into the Army.

I went from Osceola to Camp Roberts, California, which is half way between Los l Angeles and San Francisco. From there we went to Spokane, Washington for basic training; from there to Harder’s Bombing Range in Utah, to Wendover, Utah; from there to Stockton, California for the staging area to go overseas.

On June 12th we boarded the ship, U.S.S. Mt. Vernon, a luxury liner that had been stripped out. It was 987’ long and this one lone ship transported 27,000 soldiers, 9,000 sailors, 2,500 officers and nurses and 1,900 crew of the Merchant Marines. We sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and in a half day we were on our own without escort. We started for Sidney, Australia and got there the 14th of July, 1943. When we went over the equator it was 137 degrees. If you dropped an egg on the deck it would fry right there. The day after we landed, Sidney got 6" of snow.

The passengers on the ship went to different locations in the military theater but 2,000 of us were in the 1881st Army Aviation Engineers Battalion, on a special assignment of building airstrips. Many times we were the first to go in. They would take a battalion of infantry and a battalion of engineers and we would make the invasion together.

Soon after we arrived we made an invasion at Jamestown, Australia about 350 miles north of Sidney where the Japanese had established a beachhead and had taken control of the little airfield. Our first assignment was to run them out of there and secure the mainland of Australia.

We went in over the Great Barrier Reef east of Australia and from there we loaded up and sailed to Port Moresby, New Guinea. We were there about three months and boarded LST's. These were little ships, 200’ long and 60’ across. They were flat bottomed so that we could get our machinery on. We went from Moresby over the string of mountains of New Guinea. We flew over what was called the hump in a surprise air attack. The Japanese thought we were coming by ship so we were able to rout them out of there. We took Nadzab and built an airstrip.

We were there two to three months and then went in a convoy of 90 ships to Lae Beach in Hollandia. There we built a big airstrip and a headquarters for General McArthur.  It was a luxury home. The road from the beach to his house was called the $5—million road.  It was fabulous!

We loaded up and went to Sansapor, the upper end, clear at the top of New Guinea. This area was solid forest. The trees were 200’ tall, 50—60’ at their roots and we bulldozed an airstrip 13,000’ long. After that we loaded up and made the invasion at Leyte in the Philippines at 4:00 a.m. While there we built airstrips, housing for other personnel of the Army, another big airstrip; then we loaded the next time and made the invasion of Manilla, the capital of the Philippines. We had to take Manilla house by house because General McArthur owned the city and he didn’t want it torn up.

At that time we were briefed to hit Japan. We were going in at a point 300’ from the shore where the water would be 4’ deep; but when we would get there we would be faced by a 40’ high cliff of solid rock, which we would have to scale. Everything was ready. We had had our shots. The machinery was ready — and they dropped "the big one." Was I glad! I am sure a million of us wouldn’t have come back if we had invaded Japan. It has been said that this was inhuman but it would also have been inhuman to have had a million of our soldiers killed. The way I feel about it, they started it, we finished it.

Only people who served in the military would understand some of the things I saw and experienced. They were awful. We are supposed to be a civilized Army but things happen. There was one incident when we were to grade ditches for a road. We graded out 200 bodies of Japanese soldiers, and you can (or can’t) imagine the smell. By comparison the sewer smells good. Another time was when we met the Japanese Infantry on patrol. We were pinned down under our machinery. They were shooting at us and we at them but we got the upper hand.

There were also funny things like the time we built platforms for our tents. We had felt pretty safe when we got to Manilla. We went to the Quartermaster and requisitioned enough lumber to put floors in all our tents. Our commander, Col. Caples, visited our area and said, "Take all that lumber out of all those tents! Take it out and burn it. I want you back in the ground." If we had gotten complacent and comfortable it is possible we’d have been in danger if/when there was another attack.

I have left out many incidents like Washing-machine Charlie who flew a little plane over us every day and dropped little bombs that scattered like salt and pepper on eggs. I think he must have had them in a bushel basket and when he got over an area he dropped them out. He did that many times. The Air Force couldn’t catch him because he’d glide in and be out of there before they could get their planes in the air.

Another time I remember was when we made the invasion at Hollandia at 4:00 in the afternoon and the next day we were 9 miles ahead of the Infantry. Somebody asked our captain what we were up there for. We were to build a bridge so the Infantry could get across the river.

Instead of our crossing the river we built a road alongside it. The mountain came right out to the river so we decided to blast the mountain and make the road. When we blasted the rock away, there was a stream of water about 1’ or 14" across. The water shot up out of the ground and was so cold that if you stuck your arm in it, in about five seconds you couldn’t move your arm. It was as clean and pure as water could be. We capped the place and put a pipe in it so we could force it into tanks and it could be hauled away in big tankers for people to use.

Late in the year 1945 they decided to bring us home, On Nov, 24th we were loaded onto a Liberty Ship, a small cargo ship about 400’ long. We started across to San Francisco and about five days out of Manilla we hit this awful storm, like a hurricane. We went up and down in the ocean, waves coming at us 60’ high that washed everything that was loose off the ship. If you weren’t inside the ship you got washed over. This lasted eight days before the sun came out.

We got into San Francisco’s Devil’s Island and were there about a week in staging. From there we were put on a train to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, and on December 13th I arrived and met Irene in Des Moines. We had known each before I left. My brother Raymond got us together. All the time I was gone I was thinking of her. We were married Dec. 26th, 13 days after I got home. This makes 13 a very lucky number for me. In addition to these 13’s, we had the 13th grandchild for my parents, born on June 13, 1948.

In 1985 the Army 1881st Engineer Battalion had its first reunion in Philadelphia. We attended our first in 1986 in Hudson, Wisconsin, and we have attended every one since that time. Last year was our eleventh. This is the most joyous group of people.  We hadn’t seen one another in 40 years and it was like one big, happy family.

Irene’s story: I was born Nov. 27, 1923 at Beaconsfield, Iowa to Leslie Kepple and his wife Ruth McConnell Kepple. I have one sister, Nora Burgus, who lives in Murray. We grew up in Beaconsfield and lived there until 1940 when we moved to Osceola. I had been so bashful as a first grader that I didn’t say a word. One time the l teacher was trying to get us to learn not to say "ain’t." She gave us grains of corn and if we said, "ain’t" we had to give up some corn. I remember raising my hand and saying, "I ain’t gonna say that bad word any more" and lost all my corn.

At the time we moved to Osceola I was a senior in high school and the "big city" overwhelmed me. In Beaconsfield there were only 90 students in the whole school. It was very strange to be in a school where rooms were numbered 101 or 201 and I had an awful time finding my classes. I graduated from Osceola High School in 1941 and went to A.I.B. (American Institute of Business) in Des Moines. I lived with a family where I worked for my room and board. Tuition was $25 a month. I received $5 a month allowance from my parents to buy paper, pencils and whatever else I needed. I didn’t really like fig bar cookies very well so I’d buy fig bar cookies to have something to eat at night and still not eat too many.

I took a 1-year course and found a job working for the Lutheran Welfare Society as receptionist, typist, and bookkeeper and was there 3 1/2 years at least. Another girl who had been in school with me, a girl from Schaller, Iowa, and I moved to 1515 High Street. Later on, we moved to an apartment where four of us lived together. My starting salary was $65 a month at the Lutheran Welfare Society and had risen to $125 a month by the time I resigned. People today cannot understand how things were then - even I have trouble believing it - but this is how we could live on what we earned: We rode the bus for $1.25 a week, each of us paid $3 a week rent, and each paid about $3 a week for the food we bought. We could eat a meal at Bolton and Hay for 25-cents. When the war was over and I knew Adrian would be coming home, I resigned from my job and came back to Osceola.

Adrian then tells: When I came home my dad said that he wanted to help us get a place, so we got 80 acres right west of where Dad lived. It belonged to Rosa Dutton. Dad co—signed our note. We started on the 80 acres in the spring of 1946. All our furniture was what people gave us, much of it was what they would have discarded; but we were just as happy as if we were rich.

We bought another place, 190 acres, from Ben Bosserman in 1949. The farm had been badly run down, everything taken out and nothing put back. It was so poor that when I planted corn and beans I hardly even got my seed back. We worked seven days a week, hard work! We became so discouraged that we dreaded to see someone coming up the driveway wondering what they would want.

During these years our four children were born: Susan born June 13, 1948; Ted born Jan. 30, 1950; Kathy born Jan. 21, 1953; Mary born Dec. 26, 1954.

We went through a period when Irene was ill and it seemed like it was just one bad thing after another. One morning Harold Anderson came along. He was Work Unit Conservationist in Clarke County. He asked me to be a Soil Commissioner to replace Vern Airy. That was in 1955 and today I am still Soil Commissioner with four more years in the term.

Everything turned around. From that day forward I had a different attitude on life. We felt that if somebody believed we could do that, we could believe it too, and things got better. I put back into the farm all that had been taken out. We put cattle, hay, and pasture on it. Everything I did seemed to go right. From that same land today we figure on over 100 bushel of corn and 40 bushel of beans per acre.

In 1954 I bought four Registered Black Angus cows and a Registered Black Angus bull. In those days paying $2,500 for five head of cattle seemed outrageous. I already had 60 head of mixed cattle before I bought those but from those four I started building my Registered Angus herd. The First year I had Eve heifer calves and when I sold them in 1980 I had 125 head of Registered Angus cows. I attributed my farm build up to my cattle and good conservation measures. Irene remarked, "Adrian was always a good conservation farmer and insisted on renters doing the same."

I used to be like some others who worked all week and saved up what they didn’t get done to do on Sunday. Through the years I discovered that I could accomplish as much in six days of work when I respected the sabbath as the day to attend worship.

I mentioned that I graduated from 8th grade in 1935 and wasn't able to go on to high school, but in 1967 I went to GED classes offered at the high school and earned my diploma. There were 21 who took the test; 17 who passed. We had a reunion the first years but not since. Next year will be our 30th anniversary and I think we should have another.

Gradually we bought a couple more farms to the point where we had 684 acres that we still own. Everything we did we did together whether it was farm work or social activities. Irene: I had to learn to plow. One time I particularly remember was when I was running the tractor and I was very meticulous. When I came to the end of a row I had to shift down but one morning I shifted up instead of down and I really went around the corner. It was kind of on a hill and it was a little slope. I missed the fence and didn’t have an accident but it scared me! Then I had to teach our son Ted and David Miller, who came to work on the farm -- it was "like the blind leading the blind".

We were active members of the Methodist Church at Lacelle. In a little church like that you get to do everything — Adrian taught a Sunday School class for 14 years and was church treasurer 14 years. Irene had offices of Sunday School superintendent, Women’s Society of Christian Service president, played for church and Sunday School, and taught classes. The kids hated it because they didn’t have a teacher that wasn’t their mother. They were always glad when they graduated to another class.

Irene began working as church secretary in the Osceola United Methodist Church under the Rev. John McCallum in 1970 until end of 1974, then stayed home three years, came back in December of 1977 and worked until 1988. She sums it up, "I was secretary at the church 15 years and loved it! During that time we moved to town Nov. 20, 1979."

She went on: In 1972-1973 we had an A.F.S. (American Field Service) student, Elizabeth Teran from Bolivia. She and Mary were the best of friends. While I was working at the church one day I saw a bulletin that told of a trip offered for Conference people to go to Bolivia and Peru. Keith and Marilyn Hamilton, who had been missionaries in those countries, were then pastoring at Humeston. They were leading the trip and suddenly I realized that we could go to visit Elly and her husband Luis and three year—old son Pablo. When we landed in La Paz they were there to meet us. When Luis saw the Hamiltons he said, "I have seen these people before! It turns out that Keith had taught at the Methodist school where Luis had gone. It’s a small world! We have an article that we wrote about the trip and about 250 slides.

Adrian and Irene do not believe that retirement means just sitting around waiting for time to pass. Adrian tells: I joined RC&D (Research Conservation Development) for a 7-county area. Its purpose is developing rural projects for rural people. When Richard Hill of Clarke County resigned his position as a member of SCICOG (South Central Iowa Council of Governments) I was elected in his place and have served 16 years. Ralph Evans nominated me and I joined Rotary in 1981. I served as president in 1986 and 1987. I became a member of the Osceola Chamber of Commerce 14 years ago.

In 1980 I was elected president of Clarke County Historical Society which was organized in 1971. In the beginning the articles were housed in buildings all over town. We built a building in 1981-82 at 1003 South Main. Since then in 1987 the 7th Day Adventist Church gave us the school house and we got it moved in 1989 to the Museum grounds. In 1991 we put a new steel ceiling in the Museum building, and put 15 " of insulation over the top of that. The building went from hot to cold.

We now have about 6800 articles given by about 3800 contributors. Margaret Alley is curator, responsible for the recording of three things - what the item is, when it was given and how old it is. We have all items categorized and displayed. Some are in rooms that depict the times: an old store, doctor’s office, barbershop, a chapel which has five stained glass windows from the former Methodist Church, and others. In 1991 I gave them an old barn off my farm and put old machinery in it.

Irene said that I spent so much time at the Museum that I was in danger of taking up residence there. I served as president of the Historical Society for a number of years and have enjoyed working with the members. As of July 1st we have a new president, Bob Grune. I will continue to work with the Historical Society.

We entered a float in the July 4th parade. It was arranged by Frances Wright, Bob and Diane Grune. I rode on the float in the back of a pickup and behind it there was a two-wheel trailer that had a plow, a bushel of corn and one of apples with a puppet cat looking down into the sack. We got a $100 award for the float. I appreciate having been part of the Museum all these years.

In 1983 Stack Samuelson and Bob Toland challenged me to make totem poles from old utility poles that were no longer fit for use by Iowa Southern Utilities. I took this very seriously and made a study of the symbolism and use by Native Americans. I made seven altogether, two irom the poles and the rest out of redwood. One of the totem poles is at the Museum, one by the welcome sign west of town and several at East Lake Park. John Klein was then Conservation officer and in charge of Parks and Recreation and was glad to get them.

I got into rock collecting and polishing jewelry in 1968 and joined Rockola Gems Club. There were 27 people in the club and only two or three are left now. I have one of only four large rocks in the county in our front yard.

We have continued to be active in the United Methodist Church in Osceola. We have taken a variety of offices. We particularly remember when we were youth counselors in 1970 along with Rev. McCallum, Rev. Jim Seibert who was the pastor at Murray, Gene and Mary Ann Rumley and a young couple from Murray. There were nine adults and 21 youth who went to Rapid City, South Dakota on a work trip among the Native American community there.

On this trip Adrian was treasurer. Everybody paid $35 apiece and I paid all the bills. I bought all the groceries and gas. When we went to see things I bought tickets and when they found we were a youth group from the Methodist Church they cut the price in half. When we went to the Dairy Queen or somewhere like that the kids got to calling me Dad. "Can I have this (or that), Dad?" One girl overheard this and said, "Are these really all your children‘?" When we got back I had enough left that I gave everyone back $10 of their $35.

There was one incident when we got to Rapid City. The couple from Murray came to me and said that their car engine had blown up. They had to have a new one that would cost them $200 and they only had $25. I paid for it, $274, out of my own money. Six years later a car drove up to our place. Here was the couple from Murray.  They had come to pay me back my $274.

At the time of this writing, 1996, Irene is president of United Methodist Women. This is the year when we will host the district meeting. "All our committees are so helpful that everyone does all that is asked of them. When I call to ask for anything, in addition to saying ’yes’ we always have a nice visit. The women of UMW are so helpful, kind and friendly! It has been a joy for me to work with people in the church. , Three years ago when we went to Tampa for the Army reunion the former pianist had died. I volunteered and have become the official pianist for the sing-alongs. I have been hunting up old music, mostly from the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s and am having a wonderful time doing it. I’ve been made an honorary member of Rotary for being their pianist and every other Wednesday I go to Osceola Leisure Manor to play for their sing-a-longs. Once every one to two months I go to play at the Clarke County Hospital Extended Care Unit and to Afton Care Center several times a year for sing—a—longs. About once a month I go with Tom Murr to Woodburn United Methodist Church to play for their service.

Life is up and down.  We, just like everyone else, have had heartaches and many joys. We’ve been together 50 years. We have four grown children, 12 grandchildren, a nice home and many friends for which we are very grateful. It has been a wonderful adventure.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life. The Lord will
keep your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
He will command his angels concerning
you to guard you in all your ways.
(Ps. 121: 7-8; 91:11 Favorite Bible
Verses of Fern Underwood)

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