To say Robert Fuller loved to ride his motorcycle is an understatement.

His wife, Frances Fuller, said that's what she'll remember most about her husband -- that he couldn't get enough of being on the road. The 75-year-old died Jan. 3 after his motorcycle collided with a car at the intersection of William J. Bryan Parkway and Villa Maria Road in Bryan. "I'll remember him driving up on his motorcycle," Frances Fuller said. "That's the way he left here and that's the way he was the first time I met him." Fuller was a decorated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and an accomplished pilot who served in the Army for more than four decades, retiring as a major in 1994. He moved to Hilltop Lakes after he and Frances married five years ago. Fuller's funeral service was Saturday in Hilltop Lakes and included about 100 members of Los Carnales, a motorcycle club for police officers and their friends. The Civilian Air Patrol did a flyover in the "missing man" formation to honor Fuller. "All the ones who knew him best were here," Frances Fuller said. "Those were his friends."

Military service

Fuller was 14 when he entered the military in 1947. He spent a decade with the cavalry and then infantry, including almost three years of service in Korea during the war. His personal account of his time in Korea was similar to many other soldiers -- one of seeing too much death and struggle. Fuller was working in a unit attempting to repair a damaged river crossing when hostile forces demolished a dam, sending a huge rush of water, then dead and decomposing bodies downstream. Fuller and other soldiers were tossed into the river. Fuller later detailed the situation in documents submitted to the VA hospital: "I managed to grab a life line that had previously been strung across the river. During my struggle to the bank, I was physically struck several times by decomposing corpses. I vividly recall the gore and stench that covered my entire body." Fuller was treated for several injuries, including torn ligaments in his wrist. After Korea, he returned to the states and received an honorable discharge, but re-enlisted in 1955 to become a pilot. He flew just about every type of plane in the sky and his specialty became helicopters. He amassed more than 11,000 hours of flight time with 1,100-plus hours of that being in combat. As a soldier and pilot, Fuller was honored numerous times for heroic actions.

In Vietnam

In his own account of his time flying in Vietnam, Fuller speaks of his "reputation for being a bullet magnet." On many occasions, by his own account and official military documents, Fuller and his helicopter crews faced significant enemy fire, including an incident for which he was awarded the Air Medal. Despite his numerous medals and commendations, Frances Fuller said her husband never felt like he was deserving of the praise and rarely spoke of his time in combat. Frances Fuller said that her husband had severe medical problems, including a loss of most of his lung capacity, from exposure to Agent Orange. He also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Frances Fuller said. One incident in Vietnam was particularly difficult for her husband to move past, she said. Another helicopter pilot who served in Fuller's unit, Dean Pomeroy, had protected Fuller after a crash downed the helicopter Fuller was in. Pomeroy flew above the crash site, transmitting a help signal and providing cover until help could come. Fuller was transferred to a different unit soon after and then learned that Pomeroy had been paralyzed from the neck down after being shot down. Fuller visited Pomeroy in a California hospital shortly before Pomeroy died from pneumonia. In Fuller's account of his relationship with Pomeroy, Fuller wrote: "I continually suffer feelings of guilt for not having been there to cover for him as he had often covered for me. He was and is a rare exception to my preference to not allow myself to become close friends with anyone because of the pain suffered when they are lost." Frances Fuller said her husband often thought about Pomeroy. "That really stuck with him, the guilt," Frances Fuller said. "He always felt like that should have been him that was shot down, not his wingman."

The later years

After his service in Vietnam, Fuller served in various capacities as a pilot and flight instructor, and moved to Texas in 1983, where he spent most of the next decade until his retirement in 1994. He worked for the Federal Aviation Administration until December 2006, when his medical condition forced his retirement. Frances Fuller said her husband's medical issues weighed heavily on him. He was forced to give up flying in 2006 because of his problems, and had to use oxygen frequently, something he did even while riding his motorcycle. "He would say, 'If I couldn't fly and ride my motorcycle, why I am still here?'" Frances Fuller said. "For me, of course, but he wasn't talking about that. He knew I was here." Frances Fuller said she met Robert Fuller in her niece's driveway, just a short distance from the home where he was living. They were married soon after and moved to her house in Hilltop Lakes. The couple spent much of their time on the road and frequently traveled to motorcycle events. "He was the most kind and gentle warrior on the earth," Frances Fuller said.

Robert Fuller is survived by his wife and his five children.