Pvt Eugene Tuggle

Our Hometown Heroes

Eugene Tuggle

Answered the Call for his Country

Along with millions of other young men, Eugene Tuggle answered when his country called him. Tuggle, born September 2, 1892, joined the U.S. Army to fight for his country on July 29, 1918. He lived along R.F.D. A in Spalding County. Tuggle would head to Ft. Wheeler, Georgia for training for World War 1.

Spinal meningitis would claim the life of this young man only two months after the private had reported to training camp. Eugene Tuggle died on September 7, 1918. Eugene’s father, Berry Tuggle, would receive the awful news of his son’s death at his home in Starsville (Newton County).Tuggle, whose name was left off the World War 1, monument in Memorial Park is part of a group of a dozen black soldiers who were forgotten, until now.

This changed during the Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30, 2016 as Tuggle and other, “Lost and Forgotten,” World War I soldiers were honored with individual plaques and their names on the Veterans Memorial Park “Doughboy” statue. Thanks to efforts of Griffin Archivist Cynthia Barton, the Veterans Military Affairs and Honor our KIA committees, Pvt. Tuggle is now remembered as one of Griffin-Spalding’s Hometown Heroes.

An individual plaque honoring Eugene Tuggle will be installed in Griffin’s Historic District sponsored by the Vaughn-Blake VFW Post-8480.