title: Beyond the Call of Duty: The Story of an American Hero
author:  Bernard Fisher 
description: Providing close air support to ground troops in Vietnam was hazardous anytime, but on March 10, 1066, the Special Forces in the old French Fortress of Ashau were in particular trouble as the Viet Cong closed in. When an American airman went down, his death was a near certainty. Thats when Major Bernie Fisher had a decision to make: leave the pilot to his fate or undertake a near-suicidal landing to get him out. <P>President Lyndon Baines Johnson later described the operation: "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 hillsIn the belief that the downed pilot was seriously injured and in imminent danger of capture, Major 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. <P>"Directing his own air cover, he landed his aircraft in the face of withering ground fire and taxied almost the full length of the runway, which was littered with battle debris and parts of an exploded aircraft. Major Fishers 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 United States Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself  the Armed Forces of his country." <P>Bernies decision made him just one of sixteen members in the history of the Air Force to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. Now, in Beyond the Call of Duty, the full story o this remarkable childhood, family life, and military career is finally told.
zlib_text: # A MATCH MADE
  
  
  in Duty
  
  
  MEARA PLATT
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2017 Myra Platt
  
  
  
  
  
  Kindle Edition Cover Design by Melody Barber of Aurora Publicity This is a
  work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are
  either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
  resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is
  unintentional.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _To all who sacrifice to keep us safe_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## TABLE OF CONTENTS
  
  
  [Title Page](part0000.xhtml#i1)
  
  
  [Copyright Page](part0001.xhtml#i2)
  
  
  [Dedication](part0002.xhtml#i3)
  
  
  [_Chapter 1_](part0004.xhtml#i4)
  
  
  [_Chapter 2_](part0005.xhtml#i5)
  
  
  [_Chapter 3_](part0006.xhtml#i6)
  
  
  [_Chapter 4_](part0007.xhtml#i7)
  
  
  [_Chapter 5_](part0008.xhtml#i8)
  
  
  [_Chapter 6_](part0009.xhtml#i9)
  
  
  [_Chapter 7_](part0010.xhtml#i10)
  
  
  [Also By Meara Platt](part0011.xhtml#i11)
  
  
  [About the Author](part0012.xhtml#i12)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## CHAPTER 1
  
  
  _London, England_
  
  
  _October 1815_
  
  
  JAMES BRAYDEN, FIFTH Ea