Beaufort’s Bill Stultz, who just celebrated his 104th birthday April 26, joined the New Jersey National Guard even before graduating from High School in Pennington, N.J. with the class of 1940. He served with the NJNG until 1943 when he joined the United States Army Air Corps. He worked in Personnel until he was sent, by ship, across the Pacific to join the Seventh Air Force in helping to secure Okinawa while the fighting on the Japanese islands continued. He became a member of the sacred “Order of the Golden Dragon” as he crossed the 180th meridian while headed there.
At the end of the fighting he was sent back across the Pacific on a ship built in 1913 which saw service in World War I as USS Matsonia (ID-1589), then as a fish processing ship in Alaska, and finally chartered for World War II by the Army as the troopship USAT Etolin; it was a long crossing. He was discharged in 1947 as a Sergeant. He returned to civilian life, first as a salesman, and then for 30 years as an insurance inspector for National General Insurance, an Allstate Company. He has been in Beaufort for 10 years and lives at Helena Place in Port Royal.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.
