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First Name: Bernard

Last Name: Fisher

Birthplace: San Bernardino, CA, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Air Force (1947 - present)



Middle Name: Francis



Date of Birth: 11 January 1927

Date of Death: 16 August 2014

Rank: Colonel

Years Served: 1947-1950 (ANG), 1951-1974 (USAF)
Bernard Francis Fisher
'Bernie'

   
Engagements:
•  Vietnam War (1960 - 1973)

Biography:

Bernard Francis 'Bernie' Fisher
Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Medal of Honor Recipient
Vietnam War

Colonel Bernard Francis "Bernie" Fisher (pronounced Bernerd) is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He was the first living Air Force recipient of the medal (all previous awards to USAF personnel had been posthumous), and the first USAF member to receive the medal in the Vietnam War.

Bernard Francis Fisher was born on 11 January 1927, in San Bernardino, CA. [His name, Bernard, came from the Bernardino, in San Bernardino.] Fisher was raised and educated in Utah, calling Clearfield home. While still in his senior year at Clearfield High School, at the end of World War II he served a brief period in the U.S. Navy under a program that allowed him to enlist and enter the military. His naval duty was to pilot the liberty launch in San Diego where he gained a love of sailing and the ocean for the brief time he was there. [His son, Scott, said that when he and his father attended Congressional Medal of Honor (CMOH) conventions together, his father always stood with those who served in the Air Force, but also stood with those who served in the Navy.]

Fisher enrolled at Boise State Junior College in 1947, and transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1949. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Military Service

From 1947 to 1950, Fisher was a member of the Air National Guard. Before he was able to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah, he was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 1951. After pilot training, he served as a jet fighter pilot in the Air Defense Command until 1965, when he volunteered for duty in Vietnam. From July 1965 through June 1966, he flew 200 combat sorties in the A-1E/H "Spad" Skyraider as a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron located at Pleiku Air Base, South Vietnam.

On 10 March 1966, then-Major Fisher led a two-ship element of Skyraiders to the A Shau Valley to support troops in contact with the enemy. Six "Spads" were striking numerous emplacements when the A-1 piloted by Major D. W. "Jump" Myers was hit and forced to crash-land on the airstrip of a CIDG-Special Forces camp. Myers bellied in on the 2,500-foot runway and took cover behind an embankment on the edge of the strip while Fisher directed the rescue effort. Since the closest helicopter was 30 minutes away and the enemy was only 200 yards (180 m) from Myers, Fisher quickly decided to land his two-seat A-1E on the strip and pick up his friend. Under the cover provided by the other A-1s, he landed in the valley, taxied to Myer's position, and loaded the downed airman into the empty seat. Dodging shell holes and debris on the steel-planked runway, Fisher took off safely despite many hits on his aircraft by small-arms fire.

Fisher had earned a Silver Star the previous day while flying support for the same battle.

The rescue at A Shau was similar to an event that occurred on 4 August 1944 during World War II. On that date, Captain Richard "Dick" Willsie's P-38 was damaged by flak near Ploieşti, Romania. After both engines failed, Willsie crash-landed but was saved from capture when Flight Officer Dick Andrews landed his P-38 on the field, squeezed Willsie into the cockpit, and flew back to base. By remarkable coincidence, both Willsie and Andrews were also involved in the A Shau rescue. Willsie was the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron to which Myers was assigned, and Andrews flew top cover during the entire rescue.

Medal of Honor

Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On that date, the special forces camp at A Shau was under attack by 2,000 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Hostile troops had positioned themselves between the airstrip and the camp. Other hostile troops had surrounded the camp and were continuously raking it with automatic weapons fire from the surrounding hills. The tops of the 1,500-foot hills were obscured by an 800 foot ceiling, limiting aircraft maneuverability and forcing pilots to operate within range of hostile gun positions, which often were able to fire down on the attacking aircraft. During the battle, Maj. Fisher observed a fellow airman crash land on the battle-torn airstrip. In the belief that the downed pilot was seriously injured and in imminent danger of capture, Maj. Fisher announced his intention to land on the airstrip to effect a rescue. Although aware of the extreme danger and likely failure of such an attempt, he elected to continue. Directing his own air cover, he landed his aircraft and taxied almost the full length of the runway, which was littered with battle debris and parts of an exploded aircraft. While effecting a successful rescue of the downed pilot, heavy ground fire was observed, with 19 bullets striking his aircraft. In the face of the withering ground fire, he applied power and gained enough speed to lift-off at the overrun of the airstrip. Maj. Fisher's profound concern for his fellow airman, and at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.

Fisher returned to the U.S. and, on 19 January 1967, was presented the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson in a White House ceremony.

Post-Vietnam Service

Fisher returned to the Air Defense Command and flew jet interceptors until he retired in 1974 as a Colonel. Fisher and his wife, Realla, moved to his hometown of Kuna, Idaho, where they lived until her death on 27 April 2008.

Medals and Awards

Medal of Honor
Silver Star Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star Medal
Air Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award with Silver and 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon

The Retirement Years

In 1981, Fisher was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor of Idaho.

In 1985 and again in 2005, Fisher was inducted into the Gathering of Eagles program and told the story of the rescue during the Battle of A Shau to groups of young military officers.

On 3 May 2008, Fisher received his diploma from the University of Utah, 57 years after attending classes. He was officially recognized for his past academic achievements and decorated military career.

He lived with his oldest son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Linda, on the farm in Kuna. His 2nd son, William, was a dentist in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel while at Hill AFB near Clearfield; he still lives there today. Scott, the 5th of the 6 sons, served in the Air Force as a pilot in the A-7D (Puerto Rico San Juan ANG) and later in the OV-10A in Tucson (Davis Monthan) as a FAC Instructor. He then separated from the Air Force (as a Captain) and went to work as a pilot and aviation manager with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and US Forest Service flying on wildland fires. Steven, the youngest son, was also a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, held the rank of major, and flew the KC-135 Stratotanker.

Honors

Fisher's namesakes include: Colonel Bernard Fisher Veterans Memorial Park in Kuna; Fisher Park in Clearfield, Utah; the Bernard Fisher Highway, a portion of Utah State Route 193 that passes near Hill Air Force Base; and the Bernard F. Fisher Room, located at the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base, Japan, and displaying special operations memorabilia.

In 1999, a Military Sealift Command vessel, the MV Maj. Bernard F. Fisher (T-AK-4396) was named for him.

The A-1 Skyraider (AF Serial No. 52-132649) that Fisher flew into the A Shau Valley was saved and restored and is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

Death and Burial

Colonel Bernard Francis Fisher died on 16 August 2014 at the Boise VA Medical Center in Boise, ID. He is buried at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, ID.



Honoree ID: 943   Created by: MHOH

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