This is also a little about Camp Funston, where my grandfather was stationed During World War I.

George Hessler Fuller, son of George W. Fuller, was stationed at Camp Funston, which is now at Fort Riley in Kansas, when the influenza epidemic swept through the camp. The flu was labeled "The Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe". It took many lives in the Camp. Some survivors stated the coffins were stacked up at the railroad station, several high, waiting shipment to their homes.

This flue killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people around the world. This was more people than had died during the Great War (WWI). An estimated 675,000 Americans died due to this flu. Of these, 43,000 were servicemen. Few who contracted the flue lived to tell about it. During this time the children would skip rope and chant the rhyme:

I HAD A LITTLE BIRD,

IT'S NAME WAS ENZA.

I OPENED THE WINDOW,

AND IN FLU-ENZA. 

George Hessler Fuller was one of the lucky ones who manage to escape the flu altogether. But many of his buddies were not so fortunate. The flu epidemic must have been traumatic for George because he never would talk about it to his family. And I imagine that was true for a lot of the soldiers who were stationed there. But then, George was never one to discuss bad things with anyone.

George spent his entire stint in the army at Camp Funston. His older brother was "over there" fighting, so George was not allowed to, since brothers were not allowed to be on the line at the same time.

A little over three years after returning from the army, he met and married Vella "Fae" Grubbs. They lived in Weston, Colorado until they moved to Syracuse, Kansas in 1929 when their first daughter was only 4 years old.

George Hessler Fuller was born in El Moro, Colorado. He grew up there, and most of his family stayed in Trinidad, Colorado. George was a constable for Las Animas Colorado. He was loved by all that knew him. He was a tall, quiet man with a love of country and family. After the death of his father, George went home to help the family make a living. George did not marry until the age of 32. He saw to it that his mother was taken care of before thinking of making a life for himself. That was just the way he was, putting the happiness of those he loved before anything else. After moving to Syracuse, Kansas he bought a big shop and set up a mechanics business. After his retirement, George was never idle. He started a small business out of his garage fixing lawn movers for others. When he was no longer able to do that he would tinker with his own car daily. Sometimes, for lack of anything else to do, he would change the spark plugs on his car whether they needed changing or not. He will always be missed and remembered by those who loved him.

By using the link below you will be able to see a lot of pictures and stories about life at Camp Funston. Tom Johnston tells of his father's stay there during the war time and shows pictures of how the buildings looked at the camp. One of the neatest pictures to me is one of the old motorcycles they used. I know everyone will enjoy his site, so please take a few minutes to have a look.

For More Information on Life at Camp Funston - Click Here

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