from Gary Reid. Air Force Col. Bernard Francis Bernie Fisher, the first airman to earned the Medal of Honor in Vietnam, passed away Saturday at 87; his death leaves at 78 the number of living Recipients. Further details are unavailable. Born in 1927 in San Bernardino, California, Fisher was raised and educated in Utah, calling Clearfield home. He served briefly in the Navy at the end of World War II and from1947 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 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 March 10, 1966, he 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 Myers 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 and Myers after the rescue The rescue at A Shau was similar to an event that occurred on August 4, 1944 during World War II.[2] On that date, Captain Richard Dick Willsies P-38 was damaged by flak near Ploieşti, Romania. After both engines failed, Willsie crash-landed but was rescued 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. Fisher had earned a Silver Star the day before while flying support for the same battle. Fisher returned to the United States, and, on January 19, 1967, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The A-1 Skyraider (AF Ser. 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 at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 20:48:02 +0000