Bernard F . Fisher Bernard Francis " Bernie " Fisher ( pronounced " Bernerd " ) ( born January 11 , 1927 ) is a retired United States Air Force officer and a recipient of the U . S . military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor . He was the first living Air Force recipient of the medal ( all previous awards to USAF personnel had been posthumous ) , and the first USAF member to receive the medal in the Vietnam War . Early life . Born in 1927 in San Bernardino , California , Fisher was raised and educated in Utah , calling Clearfield , Utah home . He served briefly in the Navy at the end of World War II , enrolled at Boise State Junior College in 1947 , and transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City in 1949 . He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints . Military service . From 1947 to 1950 , Fisher was a member of the Air National Guard . Before he was able to complete his undergraduate degree at the University of Utah , he was commissioned into the Air Force in 1951 . After pilot training , he served as a jet fighter pilot in the Air Defense Command until 1965 , when he volunteered for duty in Vietnam . From July 1965 through June 1966 , he flew 200 combat sorties in the A - 1E / H " Spad " Skyraider as a member of the 1st Air Commando Squadron located at Pleiku Air Base , South Vietnam . Medal of Honor . On March 10 , 1966 , he led a two - ship element of Skyraiders to the A Shau Valley to support troops in contact with the enemy . Six " Spads " were striking numerous emplacements when the A - 1 piloted by Major D . W . " Jump " Myers was hit and forced to crash - land on the airstrip of a CIDG - Special Forces camp . Myers bellied in on the 2 , 500 - foot runway and took cover behind an embankment on the edge of the strip while Fisher directed the rescue effort . Since the closest helicopter was 30 minutes away and the enemy was only from Myers , Fisher quickly decided to land his two - seat A - 1E on the strip and pick up his friend . Under the cover provided by the other A - 1s , he landed in the valley , taxied to Myer ' s position , and loaded the downed airman into the empty seat . Dodging shell holes and debris on the steel - planked runway , Fisher took off safely despite many hits on his aircraft by small - arms fire . The rescue at A Shau was similar to an event that occurred on August 4 , 1944 during World War II . On that date , Captain Richard " Dick " Willsie ' s P - 38 was damaged by flak near Ploieşti , Romania . After both engines failed , Willsie crash - landed but was rescued from capture when Flight Officer Dick Andrews landed his P - 38 on the field , squeezed Willsie into the cockpit , and flew back to base . By remarkable coincidence , both Willsie and Andrews were also involved in the A Shau rescue . Willsie was the commanding officer of the 602nd Air Commando Squadron to which Myers was assigned , and Andrews flew top cover during the entire rescue . Fisher had earned a Silver Star the day before while flying support for the same battle . Fisher returned to the United States , and , on January 19 , 1967 , was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B . Johnson . Post - Vietnam service . Fisher returned to the Air Defense Command and flew jet interceptors until he retired to his hometown of Kuna , Idaho , where he lived with his wife Realla until her death on April 27 , 2008 . Later years . In 1981 , Fisher was a Republican candidate for governor in Idaho . In 1985 and again in 2005 , Fisher was inducted into the Gathering of Eagles program and told the story of the rescue during the Battle of A Shau to groups of young military officers . On May 3 , 2008 , Fisher received his diploma from the University of Utah , 57 years after attending classes . He was officially recognized for his past academic achievements and decorated military career . He lives with his oldest son and daughter - in - law , Brad and Linda , on the farm in Kuna . Honors . Fisher is the namesake of Colonel Bernard Fisher Veterans Memorial Park in Kuna ; Fisher Park in Clearfield , Utah ; the Bernard Fisher Highway , a portion of Utah State Route 193 that passes near Hill Air Force Base ; and the Bernard F . Fisher Room , located at the 353d Special Operations Group at Kadena Air Base , Japan , and displaying special operations memorabilia . In 1999 , a Military Sealift Command vessel , the MV " Maj . Bernard F . Fisher " ( T - AK - 4396 ) was named for him . The A - 1 Skyraider ( AF Ser . No . 52 - 132649 ) that Fisher flew into the A Shau Valley was saved and restored and is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton , Ohio . Medal of Honor citation . Fisher ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : 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 .