Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: Veterans, Armistice, and Carter County’s sons

By: Jeremy D. Wells

Today is Veteran’s Day. The day when we honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, regardless of the branch or conflict they served in. But it wasn’t always Veteran’s Day. Until 1954, when it was renamed so we could also honor those veterans of WWII and later conflicts who answered the call to service, November 11 was known as Armistice Day – and still is in some other countries. That name denotes the cessation of hostilities in the First World War, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year in 1918. 

The articles from the Carter County Herald we have in the scrapbook of Uncle Jack run through 1918 and 1919, so there is a great focus on WWI – The War To End All Wars – and the young men from Carter County who fought and served and, in some cases, paid the ultimate price in duty to their nation. 

What we are printing here today from the scrapbook is by no means a complete list of those from Carter County to serve and sacrifice for their nation. What it does do, though, is show that Carter County was not bashful when it came to answering the call to service. These lists of young men who have enlisted, the lists of young men to die, the numerous articles and advertisements about War Bonds and rationing – they show that Carter County’s service is as old as the roots of the holiday that now celebrates their service. 

While WWI sadly did not “end all wars” as some hoped, it did mark the United States entry as a player on the world stage. A player that, for better or worse, has sent our men and women into harms way to preserve and encourage the cause of freedom around the globe. Today we use the Uncle Jack’s column to highlight a few of those who served in the First World War, and to say thank you to all of our county’s veterans for your service. 

Editor’s Note: This is the 18th in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings in the scrapbooks of Jack Fultz. We thank Sally James of Sally’s Flowers in Olive Hill for sharing her uncle’s collected clippings with us and the community. – Jeremy D. Wells, editor, Carter County Times