World War II Honoree

Bill E. Fisher

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Bolivar, Missouri

Honored By

William E. Shaklee

Relationship

Friend

AFTER THE BOMBING OF PEARL HARBOR ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, HE WAS REQUIRED TO REGISTER FOR THE DRAFT. HE JOINED THE NAVY V-5 PROGRAM IN 1942 AND REMAINED IN SCHOOL TO COMPLETE THE TWO YEAR PROGRAM. HE THEN REPORTED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY AT MT. VERNON, IOWA, IN AUGUST 1943 TO BEGIN THE PREP SCHOOL OF THE NAVY AVIATION PROGRAM. HE STUDIED EVERYTHING FROM PHYSICAL EDUCATION TO MORSE CODE TO NAVIGATION. IT WAS 18 MONTHS BEFORE HE FINISHED THE V-5 PROGRAM AND RECEIVED HIS NAVY WINGS. FROM THERE HE WENT TO COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA, TO WARTIME TRAINING SERVICE. THERE HE FLEW PIPER CUBS WHERE HE SOLOED. AFTER THREE MONTHS TRAINING HE WENT ON TO ST. MARY’S PRE-FLIGHT SCHOOL NEAR SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. THREE MONTHS LATER WENT TO NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, FOR PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING. THE NEXT BASE WAS AT CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS WHERE HE FLEW THE PBY CATALINA. HE WAS NEXT STATIONED AT PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, WHERE HE FLEW PBM MARTIN MARINERS. HE WAS 21 YEARS OF AGE WHEN HE GRADUATED FROM PENSACOLA AND RECEIVED A COMMISSION AS A NAVY ENSIGN AND PINNED ON THE GOLD NAVY WINGS.