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Praetorium Honoris

Monday, January 13, 2020

"When a man is down, you don't leave him there." *


Well....With any luck, Mrs J and I will have slept in our own beds last night having arrived in our home port and having dropped Little J and LJW off at Houston International for their trip back to the Sandbox.

Not being a gifted reader of the future, I can't pre-post any current events that may have gone on while I was pouring wine, so I'm going to dig deep into my minuscule mental reservoir of historical stories for this week's posting.



Sarge did a post on this guy in one of his (much missed) Friday Flyby's, and I'd mentioned him in a posting about "First" Air Force Medal of Honor Recipients. Today we'll focus on him.

Major Bernard "Bernie" Fisher (Pronounced Burr-nerd) was born in 1927 in California, but his family moved to Idaho almost immediately thereafter.  He joined the Navy at the very end of WWII, then got out and went to school.  He joined the Idaho Air National Guard in 1947, was commissioned in 1951 and sent to Pilot Training.  After getting his wings, he flew Air Defense Interceptors until 1965 when he volunteered to go to Vietnam to fly the A-1E.  Although the aircraft was officially named Skyraider, it was commonly referred to as Spad.

In early March of 1966, an Army of Vietnam (ARVN) camp with about 400 ARVN Soldiers augmented by 17 Green Beret was attacked by ~2000 North Vietnamese in the A Shau Valley on the border of South Vietnam and Laos.

The line just to the right of the yellow marker is named Ho Chi Minh Trail.  That would explain its importance.
 


The initial attack was defeated with the support of Spads and Spooky's (AC-47 Gunship.  An old DC-3 with 3 x7.62mm  which gave it the capability to put a round in every 6' of a 50 yard diameter circle in 3 seconds.  This would be known as a "lot of hurt".)

Source


However, overnight the weather got worse and subsequent attacks penetrated the perimeter.  On March 10th, Major Fisher is an Element Lead in a flight of 6 Spads tasked with supporting the defenders.  The weather in the area is canine feces, but they manage to find a hole and enter the valley.  OK, entering a hole in a cloud in a cloud filled mountain valley?  They're not called "sucker holes" for nothing. That scares me just thinking about it.


Still, riding to the sound of the guns is what Heroes do.

They come out underneath and assess that the weather, while not optimum, is workable.  So, they begin attacking positions as requested by the folks on the ground.  The North Vietnamese have brought AAA with them.  I believe Sarge's saying of "Metric Crap Ton" is a reliable measure in this case.

As they're attacking and re-attacking enemy positions, Major Fisher's wingman, Major D. W. "Jump" Myers, who had received word the night before that he'd been selected for Lt Colonel, is hit by AAA and crash lands on the runway.  The A-1E is fueled with 120 Octane Aviation Gasoline which burns extremely well, and does so in this case.  Major Fisher's initial report is that the aircraft has crashed in a fireball and it's unlikely Major Myers has survived.  However on his next pass, Major Fisher sees Major Myers exiting the aircraft and sprinting into a nearby ditch.

Major Fisher informs, not asks, the command post that he is going to land and pick Major Myers up.  At this point, the North Vietnamese are less than 200' from Major Myer's position.  Major Fisher asks the command post what
is the length of the runway and is informed 3500'.  Knowing that the A-1E can land and takeoff in 3000' he starts his approach.  Plants the landing and hits the brakes, but quickly realizes he's not going to get it stopped.  Stands on the brakes and swings the aircraft around (being in a tail dragger is handy sometimes).  Later he would find that the actual field length was 2500'.

This was the actual aircraft he flew on the mission.  It shortly thereafter was shot down and badly damaged but was recovered, refurbished and now is on display at the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB. Source
He then begins taxiing back to where Major Myers is hiding.  Arriving, Major Myers jumps on the wing, but can't get in the aircraft.  Major Fisher then sets the parking brake, unstraps and exits the aircraft to help his wingman in.

Did I mention the North Vietnamese are still shooting at them? and not missing?

Finally, Major Myers is in the aircraft so Major Fisher jumps into his lap, takes off the parking brake, cobs the power to the engine and takes off.

The return flight was uneventful.

Cheated death? Yeah, pretty sure I'd be smiling also.
Source
There's another piece of remarkable coincidence with the story.  It turns out that a similar rescue had taken place in WWII near Ploesti.  Captain Dick Willsie and Flt Officer Dick Andrews were flying P-38's when Willsie was shot down, crash landing in a field.  Andrews landed his P-38 in the field and took Willsie aboard, successfully returning with him to base. The coincidence is that  Willsie was the Spad Squadron Commander during Major Fisher's rescue and Andrews was one of the other Spads in the formation.

 There are several videos of this sortie on YouTube.  This one, I think, is the best.





If that doesn't bring some moisture to your eyes, we can't be friends.

 Major Fisher's 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.
 Major Fisher was the first person to receive the Air Force Medal of Honor, up to this point previous recipients received the Army Medal of Honor.  Navy and Marine recipients receive the Navy Medal of Honor.

Major Fisher passed away in 2014 at age 87.

Rest in Peace, Warrior!

* His response to a question in the mission debrief as to why he took this action.

30 comments:

  1. Wow. And I’m thinking how did that tricycle gear P 38 just landed in the field?

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    1. All airplanes can land anywhere. Whether or not they can subsequently take off, well...THAT is the question!

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    2. At the Doctor’s office for lab work right now to confirm that hypothesis.

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    3. Subtle hint you are alive: If they stick a camera where it's not supposed to be and you scream like a little girl, you're alive. DAMHIK.

      As to the P-38 in question, I believe a road was used. I know, somewhere in crooked Italy there just happened to be a straight road, but it happened.

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  2. Amazing bit about the P-38 guys being present as Spad guys, small world. Wasn't aware of that tale at all!

    Spad drivers clanked when they walked.

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    1. My first stock broker was a Spad driver,who had been shot down and trapped in the burning wreck was badly burned. Spent a VERY long time at Brooks recovering. Passed away recently at 85.

      Yes, yes they did.

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  3. Great post Juvat, and welcome back from your wine pouring expedition.

    It looks like I'm going to be zipping through your general AOR in the next few days as I head to San Antonio with (Not-so) Mini-me and Adventure Girl for a geeky weekend at PAX South. Any recommendations for things we should do in San Antonio on our free day? The kids have never been to the Alamo, so that's obviously on the list, but despite this being my third trip down that way, I've never really done much sight-seeing beyond the riverwalk and the interior of the convention center.

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    1. Well, if you've got time for a day trip, Fredericksburg is pretty nice. Lots of shopping for the Ladies, the Nimitz Museum for the Lads. In San Antonio, most of the sightseeing things are within walking distance of the Alamo.

      If you decide to visit The Burg, Sarge has my email, drop me a line and we can coordinate a rendezvous if you'd like.

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    2. That sounds like a fantastic Thursday plan to me. I'll message Sarge and contact you on the frequency he designates.

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    3. Well, I'm gonna have something to post about on Monday, so I've got that going for me.

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  4. Definitely moist eyes, juvat - and agree with Spad drivers clanking, Sarge. I also enjoyed his evident joy in recalling his first flight in the J3 - you can tell it was just yesterday for him. Godspeed, Major Fisher!

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    1. Yeah, he fits the description of most MOH Recipients I've heard about. Modest about his achievements. Would have liked to have met him personally.

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  5. Wow, great post. Good way to start the week, with a giant dose of perspective.

    Two things really stood out for me this morning. One is the age of Fisher and Meyers. The grunts in tat war were very young, and that's the way it has to be. Many aviators were very young also, but lots of Air Force and Navy combat aviators were comparatively elderly, in their 40's! (Gene Hambleton was 50+ iirc when he was shot down in the BAT-21 rescue).

    The other thing is, what a family portrait! It's not even marred by the presence of the scoundrel, because in that moment he was America, not the other guy.

    Really neat Ploesti connection too. This rescue is the core of a great book, wonder if anyone has written it yet.

    Thanks again for a great start to the week Juvat, and welcome back from your wining excursion!

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    1. My Pleasure, PA. You'll be happy to know that my blood ran red this morning in lab work without any indication of carbonation.

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    2. I think Rasimus talks about the old-age of some of the pilots, especially after the first few years of pilot slaughter and the Air Force having to open up the requirements for pilots, and even worse, allowing some pilots who shouldn't have been flying fighters to fly fighters and attack planes.

      As to your blood running red, that's good. Better if it stopped running.

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    3. all bleeding stops eventually! :-)

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  6. Nice way to start the week,
    Survival trumps just about anything else.

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  7. Part of the Warrior Mentality is 'Strike Hard.' Another part is 'don't leave your people behind.' Very good on him, very deserving of high accolades. Too bad the Ami media sucked even back then, this guy should have been hoisted on the shoulders of the American People and hailed as a hero as soon as he arrived back stateside.

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    1. Well, with the people that count anyways, he was.

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  8. He clanked when he walked... Spads are pretty tough birds. Interesting that one is what was known as the Queer Spad in the Navy, they were used for EW missions.

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    1. I did not know that. I'll have to put on my mission planner hat and figure out how they would be integrated/support a strike package.

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  9. Gah, hit enter too early. The Navy AD-1 version had a 'small' single cockpit as opposed to what was in that pictured Air Force version.

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    1. I've never done that. Well, at least not today....yet. ;-)

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  10. Interesting. I often sailed in company with the pre positioned ship named for the man. Never had the chance to go aboard and read the MOH plaque, now I know the rest of the story. Big brass ones.

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  11. I'm surprised the cockpit could fit Myers, Fisher, and Fisher's gigantic brass balls.

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