A Fitting Salute
Retired Media officer and Army veteran Ed Fullmer honored during ‘Veterans Night’ at Media Theatre
MEDIA >> Army veteran and longtime Media Police Officer Ed Fullmer, who was wounded in the Iraq War, was the 76th combat veteran honored during Veterans Night at the Media Theatre.
Prior to the performance of its production of “Elf the Musical” at Media Theatre, World War II veteran Ed Buffman Sr., the chairman of the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum, and several others honored Fullmer for his service.
Fullmer played racquetball in college with a friend who had asked if he needed a job while attending Widener University. His friend encouraged him to consider ROTC. Fullmer signed up and spent one of his first days at the range, shooting an MC 16, which he described as fun. He recalled that some of the other field days reminded him of his camping days, something else he enjoyed.
“I loved everything about it, except having my head shaved,” Fullmer said with a smile.
Fullmer had grown up helping his dad in the construction business, but with the state of the economy at the time of his graduation in 1978, he considered first serving in the Army.
“I liked the structure of the Army and the idea and opportunity of serving my country was right there. I just had to sign on the dotted line,” Fullmer said. “Here I am 29 years later.”
Fullmer attended basic training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma in July 1979 and was sworn in as a Second Lieutenant. He was trained in Field Artillery and assigned to Fort Polk in Louisiana in the fifth Mechanized Artillery. He served in active duty from 1979-84 as an Artillery man. He left active duty and become a police officer in Media in 1984. A year later he joined the Army Reserve as part of the Third Battalion of the 42nd Field Artillery Unit.
“I missed the military, I missed the guys,” Fullmer explained. “I missed being in the field and I served with people you rely on. It’s similar to law enforcement.”
He was promoted to captain while serving in Korea in 1982, and he continued to climb the ranks.
Since 1996, he began serving in special operations.
“It’s a whole different world,” Fullmer said.
He served his first special ops mission in Haiti in 1996 and he completed nearly 30 missions.
“I thought it was the hottest place until I went to Iraq in July (2003) at 130 degree-heat,” he said, adding that they lost service members because of the extreme temperature.
Fullmer had plans to return to the police force after completing his military duties, but then the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks occurred, he received orders from the Army Reserve that he would be needed. He helped train the Civil Affairs Brigade in 2002 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and a year later he was deployed to Iraqi. Fullmer received the Bronze Star Medal in Aug. 2003 for his exceptionally Meritorious Performance of Duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His dedication to duty during ground combat in Iraq contributed to the success of the First Marine Expeditionary Force. He earned a number of awards during his service.
Fullmer was badly injured after coming under heavy fire in Iraq in Feb. 2004. He was medevaced to Germany, then to Walter Reed Hospital and sent home for recovery.
After returning home to continue his duties as a police officer, Fullmer was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in September 2006 to support American headquarters as a public safety officer and an anti-terrorism officer. Six months later he worked in the Counter Insurgency Academy in Taji, Iraq as the head military instructor.
Fullmer retired in July 2008 as a lieutenant colonel. He described his service as fun, but he said there were times of “sheer terror.” To this day, he keeps in touch with close friends he served with and they always make a point to talk on Veterans Day. Fullmer is a life member of the VFW Post 3460.
Fuller retired from the Media Police Department in 2016 after 32 years of service. For the past 14 years he has served as a SWAT member of the Delaware County Response Team, and he is also an adjunct instructor at the Delaware County Community College Municipal Police Academy, teaching firearms.