In Memory of Del R. Pulliam ........ 1st & 3rd Platoons
Delbert (Del) R. Pulliam..... 69
Died: Dec. 22nd, 2018 in Plainfield, IL
Born: Oct. 11th, 1949 in Sugar Grove, IL
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Del R Pulliam,
Delbert “Del” R. Pulliam, a long-time resident of the Plainfield area, passed away at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital on December 22, 2018, at the age of 69.
Del, the son of James and Gladys (Trumbo) Pulliam, was born on October 11, 1949, in Sugar Grove, Illinois. In his early years, Del spent much of his time outdoors fishing along the Fox River and, ever the rapscallion, hunting the tin cans and water bottles of those camping nearby with his BB gun. As a teen, Del developed a love of fast cars and souped-up his own hot rod, which he’d race at the drag strip in Oswego or on the streets, if the right challenge arose. For money, Del would scrounge scrap metal, in addition to working at a full-service gas station and hustling games at the local Aurora pool hall. Shortly after graduating East Aurora High School in 1967, Del’s mechanical inclinations led him to working at Barber Greene, a manufacturer of heavy equipment. His career with Barber Greene was put on pause in 1969, due to being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.
Del completed his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in July 1969 and completed his advanced individual training at Fort Ord in September 1969. In November, Del was sent to Fort Benning for training as a Non-Commissioned Officer. Del, however, was uncomfortable with becoming a “Shake ‘n Bake”, as such officers were called, and returned to his platoon. Del was deployed to the A Shau Valley of South Vietnam in 1970, where he served as a “Screaming Eagle” in the 3rd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry, 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. At the age of 21, Del fought alongside his brothers-in-arms in what became known as the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, which resulted in heavy casualties. As the base was overrun, Del was one of the last to evacuate, and was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his heroics. After healing, Del returned to the front lines until he was honorably discharged in March of 1971.
After the war, Del returned to Aurora, and resumed his career at Barber Greene. He married his first wife Marie and had his only son, Ken in 1972. Del also enrolled at Waubonsee Community College, graduating with an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences. At Barber Greene, Del poured his energies into mastering CAD Systems technology. As his skills continued to grow, Del left Barber Greene and joined Cimlinc, a manufacturing and design software provider, where he provided support services to companies such as Boeing.
Del’s loved designing and building. He designed and built his home garage with his friends, and drafted the plans for his home in West Chicago, making the architect’s job much easier when it came time to finalize them. Always seeking new challenges, he obtained his real estate salesperson license in 1993 and started a new career with Century 21 Clarke.
In 1990, Del moved to Plainfield, and resided in the area for the remainder of his life. Around the same time, his warm, loving friendship with Kimi transitioned to romance. Del doted on Kimi, wooing her with his culinary delights, teaching her how to fish, and cruising with her around town with the top down in his Corvette. In short, any free time they had, they’d spend together. In June of 2007, after a long courtship, Del and Kimi married, to the delight of their children, friends and family.
Throughout the years and including after his retirement in 2015, Del was happiest fishing with his son, Ken; mastering power-shifting and spinning the tires on his Corvette; woodworking in his garage; nurturing an amazing garden; and having late-night discussions ranging from conceptual physics to humanities. Anytime you arrived at his house, Del would welcome you with a heartwarming smile and blue eyes that put Sinatra to shame, along with armloads of produce, homemade pizza, or homemade beef jerky — and a Miller High Life, if you were especially well liked.
Del is loved and survived by his wife and best friend Kimi (Amor) Pulliam, his son Ken Pulliam, his 3 step-children Brendon Martin, Joshua Martin, and Danielle Martin, his 2 grandchildren Angelis Leon and Gabriel Leon, his brother James Pulliam, his sister Patti Pulliam, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Del’s life and memory will be held at Overman-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 15219 S. Joliet Rd, Plainfield, Illinois on
Friday, January 18, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., with inurnment to follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Fisher House Foundation, which provides military and veterans’ families a place to stay at no cost while their loved one is receiving treatment at a Veteran’s Hospital.
Del's Obituary can be found at: https://www.friedrichjones.com/obituaries/Delbert-R-Pulliam?obId=3975074#/obituaryInfo
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"Thank you brother for a job well done". Until we meet again my friend ..... "Currahee"......"Stands Alone"
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