' Bernie Fisher ' . . A Fighter Pilot To ' Run The River With '

During the Battle of A Shau in Viet Nam on March 10, 1966, a C-123 crew flying near a Special Forces Camp, voice taped this fighter pilot rescue.

It was recorded just after urgent plans were made to rescue ' Jump ' Myers . . after being to forced to land his Skyraider on an airstrip over-
run by North Vietnamese Army troops.

The first recorded sentences were from flight leader Bernie Fisher telling fellow Sky-raider Pilots [ Paco VASQUEZ, 29, of Puerto Rico; John LUCAS, 28, of Ohio, and Dennis HAGUE, 28, of Idaho ] to back him up while he was going to singly attempt the downed pilot's rescue . . offering him a ' piggy back ' ride immediately behind him in his roomy cockpit.

He planned to stick his A-1 down on the debris-littered air strip and fast taxi over to his flight mate, where 'Jump ' was behind his A-1's hulk, taking cover from the enemy's searching fusillade of bullets.



As Bernie's ' piggyback ' rescue unfolded, two more Skyraider pilots
flew to within striking distance. .then pounded the air strip's enemy gun positions . . distracting the enemy's attention from Bernie's ad hoc rescue.

Here are excerpts from Major Fisher's . . Medal of Honor mission . . from the voice tape :

LUCAS : Bernie . . which way you gonna land ?
FISHER : I'm gonna make a 180 degree. Then I'm coming
in toward the Southeast.

LUCAS : O.K. Well then . . we'll come up behind you, Bernie . . and we
will strafe parallel to your landing heading.

FISHER : O.K. I'm rolling in to land.

NOW !

LUCAS : I'm right behind you, Bernie. Oops ! I just took a hit in my
pitot system . . also smoking a little.

HAGUE : Luke, I'm right back here at your Six.

LUCAS : O.K. Ahh . . do you see any smoke ?

HAGUE : NEG . . looks pretty good.

LUCAS : OK. But my airspeed's gone to hell . . and the hydraulic
pressure's fluctuating.

HAGUE : You want me to stay with you ?

LUCAS : O.K.

LUKAS : Bernie . . You gonna land out of this one ?

Approaching Fighters : Birddog Five-Two . . this is Oxford 81.
Do you read ? Over.

FAC [ Forward Air Controller ] : Birddog 52 here. Affirmative.
Fighters : We're headed your position, Birddog 52, for time on
the target of 12:40. We're ten minutes late. We have
eight 500 [ general purpose bombs ] GPs retarded.
And 20 mike-mike.

FAC : All right. But hold on high and dry, Sir. At the present time we
have A-1H's working underneath. There's an aircraft ' down. '
And we're trying to get the pilot out of there.

Fighters : We are orbiting up here at twenty thousand.
FAC : Roger. Hold high and dry for now.

More Shooters : Birddog 52 this is Congo 56 with eight napes . . eight bombs . . and 20 Mike Mike.

FAC : Roger, stand by. The weather underneath is not too good for napalm.

Shooters : Roger.

HAGUE : Hey . . that's boloney !

LUCAS : O.K. Paco . . I see you're in trail with us.

Shooters : Zero three . . uh . . I mean . . Shoeseller 03 on here.

LUCAS : Roger, go ahead, Jim [ Shoeseller 03 ]

GUNTER : Roger, which kind of help do you need ? We're about three
miles up the valley from you.

LUCAS : O.K. Babe. Come on down the valley. As you come down the
valley - you'll run over this airstrip. Then pick up a heading
of one five zero. And when you make your pass, run your
napalm down the EAST side of the runway.

GUNTER : Understand. 150 degrees . . then down the runway's
EAST side. OK.

You get that, Pete ?

HOUK [ Gunter's Wingman ] : Roger Dodger, Jim.

LUCAS : You will see quite a bit of smoke.

GUNTER : OK, I see an aircraft down there to the left. That you ?

LUCAS : No, I'm strafing the EAST side of the runway now. Why
don't you come on down and take a look ?

More Shooters : This is Hobo 21 . . we are up here at 20M, Luke.
And we are orbiting to the North of the airfield . .
at 6000 . . if you need us.

LUCAS : OK. Let's hit everything, Denny. ' EXCEPT . .
for 'JUMP ' Myers down there in his ' FORT. '

HAGUE : Roger, Luke . . I ' gotcha.'

HAGUE : Okay . . now I'm Winchester [ out of ammo. ]

LUCAS : OK. So am I . But let's keep making passes . . maybe
' they ' . . don't know that.

HAGUE : Roger.

LUCAS : O.K. Jim, the area's smoking pretty badly. You'll see an aircraft
burning on the runway. And Bernie's now taking off . . to the North.

GUNTER : OK, understand to the North. OK. I think I see him rolling now.

HAGUE : Roger - Roger.

LUCAS : Denny, let's go down and ' GET ' that EAST side.

HAGUE : Roger - Roger, Babe.

GUNTER : OK, Jon . . where do you want those trenches strafed ?

LUCAS : You got us in sight ? We're breaking off . . we are coming
around to the left.

GUNTER : OK, Where you want the strafe here ? Right there on the
EAST side of the runway ?

LUCAS : Yeah, put it all down the EAST side . . in that grass area.
Put a couple of bursts in there.

GUNTER : OK. And we'll be going right . . after the strafe.

LUCAS : OK . . all the gun fire is over here on the EAST side . . in those trees.

GUNTER : Luke, you got a chopper comin' from the North.
He may be able to get the pilot out.

LUCAS : We already got him out.


Major Bernard F. Fisher's 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.

While 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, Major 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, Major 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, 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 Fischer's aircraft.

In the face of the withering ground fire, he applied power and gained enough speed to lift-off only after using the rescue runway's overrun.

Major 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 became the first [ living ] U.S. Air Force Medal of Honor winner when he was presented the medal
at the White House by President Lyndon B. Johnson.



The USAF Museum has the A-1E Skyraider that Major

' Bernie ' Fisher flew on his Medal of Honor mission.

Great story, thanks for posting.

What a story . . . what a man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhX17rXFVsM

Makes a guy proud of his country.

Big bad birds,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5kNlb0prOE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCE_VP99JEg

Excellent!

Proud of ones country and one's countrymen in uniform!