By Robin A. Edgar

For some veterans, the anticipation of serving during wartime is never realized.  The time of training, however, still made an impact on their lives and gave them a sense of who they were to become. John T. Fischer grew up in a small town in northern Illinois called Elmhurst, where he graduated York High School. He went to college in Wisconsin at Lawrence University, and was working on a degree in math when his country was involved in the conflict in Vietnam. He decided to enlist in early 1968.

“I enlisted in the Navy when I was 23 years old because I thought it was good to serve my country. I was also excited about getting a chance to fly advanced aircraft. After a rigorous physical, eye exam and aptitude test, they did a background check on me. Then I went before a board of five Navy officers who interviewed me before I was accepted.

 

“Since I opted for flight training, I reported for basic training to Naval Air Force School (NAS) in Pensacola, Fla. The training was demanding but fair — if you kept your military bearing, you became part of the platoon, but if you messed up, you had to do an individual workout in the hot Florida sun. After basic training, I started flying lessons with an instructor on a T-34, a stable maneuverable single engine prop.  Along the way, I learned the motto: ‘The earmark of a successful pilot is to log an equal number of take offs and landings.’

 

“I was selected to jet train and practiced instrument flight, formation, and weaving. We shot wing-mounted guns and rockets and dropped practice bombs. We also learned to hassle or “dogfight” by maneuvering the aircraft behind the enemy to shoot them down. I carrier qualified on two jet trainers, the T-2 and the T-F9. After practicing with a carrier drawn on a runway, we flew into the Gulf of Mexico to ‘hit the boat.’ Carrier landings are impressive to observe, but from the cockpit, it is like a video game, trying to line up the flight path with the ship’s landing guidance system. Flying the catapult shot where you go from stationary to flying speed in a few yards leaves you feeling like your stomach is wrapped around your backbone.

 

“One month before receiving my wings, President Nixon ordered a halt to the bombing in North Viet Nam and the Navy wound up with more pilots than missions. Several of us were sent to NAS Barberas Point in Oahu, Hawaii to log flight hours and stay combat ready. We reported for watch every fourth day. During my free time, I defended Oahu by watching for Vietnamese subs while I surfed at various beaches. My efforts were rewarded, as there is no record of a submarine invasion during the Vietnamese conflict. All kidding aside, I learned to be a reliable member of a team and was impressed by the many service members who dedicated their time, talent, and energy to serve our country.”

 

When Fischer left the service, he did some travelling with the money he had saved from investing in stocks while in the service. He became an active investor and used the GI Bill to get a degree in finance. In addition to investing, he held several computer programmer jobs. He also joined a youth mentoring organization called Found a Friend and remains friends with a young man who was his “little brother” for seven years. Impressed with Tryon when he came here to visit his parents, he took a job nearby in computer programming in 1978 and moved to Polk County. In 1983, Fischer bought his first house on White Oak Mountain where he says he feels about as close to heaven as you can be on earth.

 

If you are a veteran and would you like to share about your experience in the US military please contact Robin Edgar at 2robinedgar@gmail.com or call the Tryon Daily Bulletin at 828-859-9151.

 

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