On 10 March, 1966, HMM-163, led by LtCol "Chuck" House rescued many of the survivors of the Army Special Forces camp in the Ashau valley. Various personal descriptions of the mission can be found in the "Poems & Stories" section of this web site. The following USAF recommendation for the CMH for Air Force Major Bernie Fisher provides a wonderful description of the situation at the camp prior to HMM-163's arrival.

NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION.

MAJOR BERNARD F. FISHER DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPEDITY WHILE SERVING WITH FRIENDLY FOREIGN FORCES ENGAGED IN AN ARMED CONFLICT AS AN A-1E PILOT AT A SHAU, REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM ON 10 MARCH 1966 . IN THE FACE OF A STRONG AND DETERMINED HOSTILE FORCE ARMED WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, HE LANDED HIS SINGLE ENGINE A 1E ON AN HOSTILE HELD 2500 FOOT AIRSTRIP, CRATERED BY MORTAR FIRE AND CLUTTERED WITH BATTLE DEBRIS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING HIS AIRCRAFT TO RESCUE MAJOR DAFFORD W. MYERS. AT THE TIME THE CAMP WAS UNDER ATTACK BY SOME 2,000 NORTH VIETNAMESE ARMY REGULARS WHO HAD FORCED THE 300 DEFENDERS OF A SHAU INTO ONE BUNKER WITHIN THE CAMP. HOSTILE TROOPS WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS HAD OVER RUN THE AIRSTRIP AND HAD POSITIONED THEMSELVES BETWEEN THE AIRSTRIP AND THE CAMP IN DUG-IN POSITIONS. OTHER TROOPS IN SIMILAR POSITIONS SURROUNDED THE CAMP AND WERE RAKING IT WITH AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE FROM THE SURROUNDING HILLS. THE TOPS OF THE 1500 FOOT HILLS WERE OBSCURED BY AN 800-FOOT CEILING LIMITING AIRCRAFT MANEUVERABILITY AND FORCING PILOTS T0. OPERATE WITHIN RANGE OF HOSTILE GUN POSITIONS, WHICH OFTEN WERE ABLE TO FIRE DOWN ON THE ATTACKING AIRCRAFT. MAJOR MYERS' AIRCRAFT, ONE OF SIX A 1E’S OPERATING IN THE VALLEY AT THE TIME OF THE ACTION, WAS HIT AT 400 FELT ABOVE THE GROUND BY A NUMBER OF HEAVY CALIBER SHELLS OF UNKNOWN SIZE.
UNABLE TO BAIL OUT BECAUSE OF HIS LOW ALTITUDE, THE SITUATION WAS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY COCKPIT SMOKE, WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO USE HIS FLIGHT INSTRUMENTS. FLAMES OUTSIDE THIS AIRCRAFT COCKPIT FURTHER HINDERED AND PREVENTED FLIGHT ORIENTATION.
MAJOR FISHER ASSESSED THE SITUATION AND, CLOSING ON MAJOR MYERS' AIRCRAFT, GUIDED THE BURNING A 1E ONTO THE HOSTILE CONTROLLED RUNWAY WITH VERBAL COMMANDS AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE PILOT. AT THE TIME HE WAS GUIDING IN THE BURNING AIRCRAFT HE WAS PROVIDING SUPPRESSIVE FIRE AHEAD OF IT AND GIVING BATTLE INSTRUCTIONS TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLING FLIGHT. AFTER OBSERVING THE WHEELS UP FLAMING LANDING AND EXPLOSION, MAJOR FISHER OBSERVED MAJOR MYERS TO EMERGE FROM THE INFERNO AND ROLL INTO WEEDS ON THE EDGE 0F THE RUNWAY, HIS FLYING SUIT SMOKING.
CALLING FOR AIR RESCUE HELICOPTERS HE WAS INFORMED THEY WERE 15 TO 20 MINUTES AWAY. IN THE BELIEF THAT MAJOR MYERS WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND IN IMMINENT DANGER OF CAPTURE BY A VICIOUS AND BRUTAL HOSTILE FORCE, MAJOR FISHER ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTION TO LAND ON THE HOSTILE CONTROLLED AIRSTRIP TO EFFECT A RESCUE. ALTHOUGH ADVISED BY THE AIRBORNE COMMAND POST OF THE EXTREME HAZARD AND LIKELY FAILURE OF SUCH AN ATTEMPT, HE ELECTED TO CONTINUE. HE NOTED THAT MAJOR MYERS’ POSITION WAS ONLY 20 FEET FROM A HOSTILE GUN POSITION AND ADVISED THECOMMAND POST IT WAS DOUBTFUL A HELICOPTER WOULD SURVIVE A RESCUE ATTEMPT IN THE FACE OF EXTREME AND INTENSE HOSTILE FIRE SURROUNDING THE CAMP. HE DIRECTED THE REMAINING A 1 PILOTS TO PROVIDE HIM WITH FIRE SUPPORT AGAINST THE ANTI AIRCRAFT POSITIONS. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 20 SUCH POSITIONS IN THE AREA BEING REPORTED BY FORWARD AIR CONTROLLERS IN ADDITION TO OTHER AUTOMATIC AND SEMI AUTOMATIC WEAPONS POSSESSED BY THE ATTACKING SOLDIERS.
PRIOR TO THE RESCUE ATTEMPT MAJOR FISHER EXPENDED HIS REMAINING ORDNANCE ON HOSTILE POSITIONS WITHIN THE CAMP WHERE THE DEFENDERS HAD REQUESTED A STRIKE AND BEGAN HIS APPROACH TO THE AIR STRIP IN AN ALREADY BATTLE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT. THE APPROACH WAS COMPLICATED BY GROUND FIRE FROM INFANTRY FORCES AND SMOKE FROM FIRES INITIATED BY BOMBS AND NAPALM. AS A RESULT OF SMOKE COVERING HIS APPROACH HE BROKE OUT HIGH AND LANDED LONG. REALIZING HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO STOP IN THE REMAINING DISTANCE HE APPLIED POWER AS HE PASSED MAJOR MYERS, WHO WAS ATTEMPTING TO WAVE HIM AWAY FROM THE STRIP AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE CERTAIN DESTRUCTION.
HOLDING HIS AIRCRAFT, A FEW FEET ABOVE THE GROUND TO AVOID AS MUCH OF THE INTENSE GROUND FIRE WAS POSSIBLE, MAJOR FISHER BEGAN AN "S" TURN, WHICH WOULD BRING HIM BACK TO THE AIRSTRIP FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF HIS FIRST ATTEMPT. THE SECOND LANDING ATTEMPT WAS SUCCESSFUL ALTHOUGH VIOLENT BRAKING. AND RUDDER ACTION WAS NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL IN AVOIDING DEBRIS ON THE BATTLE-TORN RUNWAY. MAJOR FISHER UTILIZED ALL HIS FLYING SKILL TO MISS MORTAR CRATERS, SHELL CASINGS AND PIECES OF THE A 1E, WHICH NOW LITTERED THE RUNWAY AS A. RESULT OF THE FUEL TANK EXPLOSION. UNABLE TO STOP WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE SHORT AIRSTRIP MAJOR FISHER'S AIRCRAFT WENT INTO THE OVER RUN AND THEN OUT INTO A HIGH GRASS AREA USED TO STORE EMPTY STEEL FUEL BARRELS. HE FELT THEM STRIKING AND FURTHER DAMAGING HIS AIRCRAFT. HIS POSITION WAS NOW AT THE FAR END OF THE RUNWAY FROM MAJOR MYERS’ LAST KNOWN LOCATION. APPLYING POWER HE BEGAN WEAVING HIS WAY, UNDER FIRE FROM VIRTUALLY ALL SIDES, TAXIING DOWN THE RUBBLE STREWN RUNWAY TOWARD MAJOR MYERS' POSITION. TRYING TO AVOID JAGGED EDGES OF METAL CREATED BY MORTAR BURSTS ON THE PIERCED STEEL PLANK RUNWAY (WHICH WOULD HAVE DESTROYED HIS TIRES) HE TAXIIED ALMOST THE FULL LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY ALTHOUGH MAJORS FISHER AND MYERS BOTH OBSERVED TRACERS AND HEARD THOUSANDS OF ROUNDS OF FIRE DURING THIS PERIOD, STRAFING FUNS BY THE A 1's IMPAIRED THE ACCURACY OF THE GUNNERS.
AFTER BRAKING TO A STOP NEAR THE LAST POSITION HE HAD SEEN MAJOR MYERS, MAJOR FISHER UNBUCKLED IN PREPARATION TO LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT IN THE BELIEF THE OFFICER HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO RESCUE WOULD BE SO SEVERELY BURNED AND WOUNDED HE COULD NOT REACH THIS AIRCRAFT. ON HIS WAY OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT HE MET MAJOR MYERS AND, FROM HIS POSITION IN THE COCKPIT, HELPED MAJOR MYERS ENTER. DURING THIS TIME MAJOR FISHER COULD HEAR BULLETS STRIKING HIS AIRCRAFT.
LATER GROUND CREWMEN COUNTED 19 HITS ON THE AIRCRAFT.
THE A 1E PILOTS ABOVE REPORTED THEY WERE NOW OUT OF AMMUNITION THEIR STRAFING RUNS WOULD. BE "DRY" IN AN EFFORT TO SUPPRESS AS MUCH HOSTILE FIRE AS POSSIBLE AND BLUFF THE HOSTILE GUNNERS AT THE EDGE OF THE AIRSTRIP. TURNING HIS AIRCRAFT AROUND, MAJOR FISHER SAW HE HAD LESS THAN TWO THIRDS OF AN ALREADY TOO SHORT AIRSTRIP AHEAD OF HIM. CALLING ON ALL HIS SKILL HE APPLIED POWER AND WORKED HIS WAY THROUGH WRECKAGE AND DEBRIS GAINING ENOUGH SPEED TO LIFT OFF AT THE OVER RUN. FLYING JUST ABOVE THE GROUND AT INSUFFICIENT AIRSPEED TO CLIMB, HE GRADUALLY BUILT UP SPEED, STILL UNDER INTENSE HOSTILE FIRE, AND BEGAN A CLIMB INTO THE 800 FOOT OVERCAST ABOVE THE, VALLEY. THROUGHOUT THIS ACTION MAJOR FISHER AND FIVE OTHER A 1E PILOTS WERE MANEUVERING THEIR AIRCRAFT UNDER INTENSE HOSTILE ANTI AIRCRAFT FIRE IN A "BOX" APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE SQUARE, RINGED WITH MOUNTAINS UNDER COMPLETE HOSTILE DOMINATION ON ALL SIDES AND ENCLOSED BY AN 800 FOOT CEILING. DURING THE DEFENSE OF THE CAMP BY THESE AIRMEN ONE OF THE SIX WAS SHOT DOWN AND ONE WAS FORCED TO RETURN TO BASE BECAUSE 0F EXTENSIVE BATTLE DAMAGE.. THREE OF THE REMAINING FOUR AIRCRAFT, INCLUDING MAJOR FISHER'S HAD SUFFERED BATTLE DAMAGE BEFORE THE DECISION TO ATTEMPT THE RESCUE WAS MADE. THE LANDING WAS MADE BY MAJOR FISHER IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FORE
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COMPLETE CONTROL OF .THE CAMP AND WAS, IN FACT, IN CONTROL OF THE AIRSTRIP. DIRECTING HIS OWN AIR COVER, AND POSSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE AIRSTRIP WAS NOT ADEQUATE FOR A 1 OPERATIONS UNDER FAVORABLE CONDITIONS, HE CHOSE TO LAND HIS BATTLE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT ON A HOSTILE-CONTROLLED RUNWAY FURTHER COMPLICATED BY BATTLE DEBRIS AND PARTS OF AN EXPLODED AIRCRAFT. HE PERFORMED THIS RESCUE IN THE FACE OF SOME 2,000 ARMED AND NEARLY VICTORIOUS HOSTILE TROOPS. HIS DETERMINATION, HIS INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF COURAGE IN THE FACE OF A RESOLUTE AND HEAVILY ARMED HOSTILE FORCES, THIS COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR HIS OWN LIFE TO EFFECT THE RESCUE OF A FELLOW AIRMAN, AND HIS RESOLVE TO CONTINUE DESPITE ADVICE BY OTHERS OF THE SEVERE HAZARDS INVOLVED, REFLECT THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF AMERICAN FIGHTING FORCES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY.

I PERSONALLY HOLD NO RESERVATIONS IN NOMINATING MAJOR BERNARD F. FISHER FOR THE MEDAL OF HONOR:
SIGNED: LIEUTENANT GENERAL J. H. MOORE, COMMANDER.