Bernie Fisher is alive and well. A couple of weeks ago, a gentleman by the name of Bernard "Bernie" Fischer, a military veteran, passed away. Several people contacted me about it, thinking was the same Bernie Fisher who is Kuna's very own Medal of Honor recipient, a true American hero. The Bernie Fischer who passed away is a different person.
Our Bernie Fisher, after whom the Kuna city park is named, was on hand with Gov. Butch Otter and state Sen. John Goedde last week for the signing of Senate Bill 1050, which designates Idaho Highway 3 as the Medal of Honor Highway.
The ceremony took place on Thursday, March 10, at the Governor’s Ceremonial Office at the state Capitol.
Fisher earned the Medal of Honor for personal action above and beyond the call of duty by risking his life to save a fellow pilot who was shot down during action in the A Shau Valley of Vietnam in 1966.
During the battle, then-Maj. Fisher landed his Douglas A-1E Skyraider on an airfield controlled by the enemy under intense ground fire, pulled the downed pilot from the wreckage and took him aboard his aircraft, successfully escaping despite several bullets striking the plane. The aircraft that Fisher was flying that day is displayed at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He also had experience in such fighters as the F-80 Shooting Star, F-86 Sabre, and F-101 Voodoo, along with hundreds of close-air-support missions in the A-1E.
March 25 is also national Medal of Honor Day, another great opportunity to honor Fisher. Thank you, Bernie Fisher, for your service to our country.
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