If you travel highway 58 back and forth to Martinsville, you cross the bridge over Spoon Creek which is named in memory of Spc.4 Frederick C. Bullington, Jr. I have always wanted to learn more about this young hero and his ties to Patrick County, so he is our focus this week.
Frederick was born on the 15th of December 1945 to Frederick Curtis Bullington, Sr. and Virginia Adeline Fulcher Bullington. According to the 1950 United States Census, Fred and Virginia were living in the Tunstall district of Pittsylvania County with their young children, Virginia Ann, age 6; Fred Jr., age 5; and one year old twin boys, Wayne and Warren. Fred and Virginia were both employed in the textile mills, Fred as a doffer and Virginia as a spinner.
In January of 1951, Fred and Virginia were blessed with the birth of another daughter, Patricia. On Christmas Day 1951, tragedy struck the family when forty-five-year Fred died suddenly, enroute to the hospital. Virginia Adeline brought her young family back home to Patrick County where she married Claude Irvin Scearce, and in 1953, they had a daughter named Janice.
Virginia Adeline Fulcher’s parents were John Buford Fulcher and Hallie Fulcher of the Horsepasture community. John Buford Fulcher’s parents were William Harden Fulcher and Sally Florence Hundley of Sandy Ridge, North Carolina. Hallie Fulcher’s parents were Thomas Jefferson Fulcher and Eliza Jennie Brim of the Spencer community.
Frederick and his siblings attended Hardin Reynolds Memorial School in Critz and according to a resolution by the Patrick County Board of Supervisors, dated May 14th, 2018, Frederick spent many happy hours as a child swimming and fishing in Spoon Creek.
Frederick enlisted in the United States Army in November 1964. After basic training, he was stationed in Hawaii until his deployment to Vietnam. He was a member of the United States Army 25th Infantry Tropic Lightning Company B, 1st Battalion (Mechanized) with a rank of Spc. 4.
On May 7th, 1966, Frederick was wounded in the head and neck by Viet Cong gunfire; he was transported to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines for treatment. The Patrick County and National Red Cross assisted Virginia with obtaining a flight to the Philippines so that she could comfort her son. Virginia was by Frederick’s side when he died on May 30th, 1966; he was twenty-one years old.
Spc. 4 Frederick C. Bullington’s body was returned to the United States with an Honor Guard and taken to the home of his mother in Spencer, Virginia. Frederick’s funeral was held at Stella Christian Church with burial in the church cemetery with full military rites.
In a 2018 Martinsville Bulletin story about the renaming of the bridge in memory of Frederick, the late Dr. Lock Boyce said that Bullington was the first Patrick County native to be mortally wounded in the Vietnam War. Dr. Boyce added, “Around here, he was known as Freddy, but after speaking to his platoon sergeant, I learned that his nickname was ‘Bull,’ not because of his name, but because of his strength. He was always one to jump up and do whatever needed to be done.”
Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or (276) 692-9626.
