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On Veterans Day, we celebrate the sacrifices made by the men and women in the military who put the safety and well-being of others above their own.
We also appreciate the sacrifices made by the families of active duty military personnel who willingly support us regardless of the situation.
One of those families is the Fuller family, who moved to Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge for the summer. Warwick Fuller is a captain in the US Army who has been on active duty for the past eight and a half years.
As a result, the family moved across the country on Warwick’s errand. Living in Brooklyn allowed Warwick’s daughter Lily to be a member of Fontbonne Hall Academy’s Bay Ridge varsity soccer team.
Warwick and Heather Fuller – both from Pennsylvania – have four children: Claire, 17, who just graduated from high school and is entering college; Lily, 16, a sophomore at Fontbonne; Alice, 12, a student at St. Patrick Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge; and Yuvan, 8, also a student at St. Patrick’s.
The family arrived in Brooklyn in July and immediately began training with the Lily Bonnies soccer team. One of his first experiences in Brooklyn was battling terrible New York City traffic while trying to find a field in a park he had never been to.
Lily, a midfielder for Fontbonne, said: “I’ve been playing since I was a little girl and it really turned into a passion for playing the sport. “It was great for team work and bonding with the other girls. “I have made many friends across the country through football.”
Prior to Brooklyn, the family lived in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Additional residences include Fort Hood in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Fort Belvoir in Virginia while Warwick was in the Army Reserves. During her freshman year at North Carolina last year, Lily was a member of a private school team that won a state title, thus fueling her interest in continuing to play.
“When we started looking at schools, that was Lily’s first question: ‘Do they have a football team?’ said Warwick. “We really liked both Fontbonne and St Patrick’s because of the high quality of education and of course the morale.
Military roots run deep in Fuller’s family. Warwick can trace his ancestry back to a soldier who fought in the American Revolution. Another Fuller helped capture former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Warwick’s grandfather served in Korea and his father in Vietnam. Even growing up, he said he never wanted to be a soldier.
That all changed when he learned he was an Army chaplain—a position that goes back to General George Washington, who believed the Army needed chaplains to care for the soldiers’ spiritual well-being. Warwick is an Anglican chaplain whose daily duties as chaplain include ensuring the religious rights and liberties of every soldier in his battalion.
Of course, this career path led to many moves across the country for the family. At Fort Hamilton, Warwick works in the Chaplains’ Office and hopes the assignment will last two or three years as the children become more comfortable in their respective schools. Soccer has helped the family, especially Lily, adjust well to the Bay Ridge community.
“We’re excited that Lily can find a team here to play on and continue to do what she loves, which is playing soccer,” said Heather, a biology teacher at Cristo Rey Brooklyn HS, Flatbush. “She went through a two-week tryout where she got to know the other girls and show the coaches what she can bring to the team.”
Lily has enjoyed her time at the Bonnies so far. The team was successful both offensively and defensively, and more importantly, the student-athletes welcomed Lilia with open arms. Often times, sports can be a great way for new students to immerse themselves in their unfamiliar environment.
We thank Warwick for his service to our country, and we also thank his family for standing by him as he pursues his dream of becoming an Army chaplain—which includes serving those who serve.
the connection Jim Mancari via email [email protected].
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