Gravois Mills resident Rich Fischer served 11 years in active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard from 1988 – 1999. The story of his service is rich with adventure, danger, and heroism!
The Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is sometimes misunderstood because they are not in the Department of Defense during peacetime. When thinking of the U.S. Coast Guard, many picture citizen volunteers who only serve on weekends, or in times of national crisis.
However, the U.S. Coast Guard is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security during times of war, and they make the same sacrifices as those in other branches. They are governed by the same Uniform Code of Military Justice and rank system as the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Space Force. The Coast Guard operates under the Navy with armed air and watercraft in U.S. coastal and international waters. They provide law and maritime safety enforcement, as well as environmental protection. In addition to promoting national border security and economic prosperity in the maritime environment, the Coast Guard saves those in peril and on the sea.
Presidential Honor Guard
Each of the five services has an Honor Guard to represent their branch during heads of State visits to the White House, national military leader visits to the Pentagon, and any events nationwide that require precision military representation.
Fischer was selected to serve in the Coast Guard Presidential Honor Guard in Washington D.C. during basic training in 1988. To serve in presidential ceremonies, he had to get a White House-level security clearance.
Fischer says his most important duty was honoring fallen service men and women during military funerals at Arlington Cemetery or any other final resting place they were sent.
Helicopter Maintainer and Aircrew
Fischer went on to attend Aviation Electrician School in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. After graduation he served as a Flight Mechanic on an HH-65 Dolphin Helicopter, stationed in New Orleans, La. He flew over 1,500 hours on search and rescue, law enforcement, and environmental protection missions.
Rescuing Stranded Teens
After being transferred to Traverse City, Mich., his team was called out to a search and rescue for four teenagers who had been swept away into the Black River after trying to cross a flooded road. Police and fire water rescue crews were unable to get to them because of turbulent water.
The ceilings enroute were between 100 and 200 feet with heavy rain, turbulence, and lightning in all quadrants. The intensity of the heavy rain diminished the effectiveness of the radar, making detection of numerous embedded thunderstorms impossible. The helicopter maneuvered with only 10 feet of clearance from power lines. “We found the teens sitting on top of their car, desperate to be rescued,” Fischer said. “We flew in and lowered a rescue swimmer. He secured them and handed them off to the fire department, one at a time.”
All four teens were saved.
In addition to receiving Coast Guard service awards, The American Red Cross presented the aircrew their Community Hero award. The citation that accompanied the award stated, “Fischer expertly conned the aircraft into hoisting position and purposely deployed the rescue swimmer on the downstream side of the vehicle to prevent the swimmer from being pulled under by the current. Fischer’s diligence, perseverance, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Coast Guard.”
Chasing Drug Runners
Fischer was also deployed to the Caribbean, where his helicopter team patrolled two flights a day investigating suspicious drug activity, intercepting boats running drugs out of Columbia. They were stationed on the 270-ft. Coast Guard Cutter Thetis.
After retiring from the service, he worked 22 years for the FAA in technical operations where he maintained national airspace radar, communications, environmental, and automation systems used by pilots and air traffic controllers.
Zack Wheat Post 624 Honor Guard
Fischer met wife Christy in 1991 while marching with the Coast Guard Silent Drill Team at a VFW Parade in Indianapolis. They were married six months later. They are still happily married and living in Gravois Mills, Mo.
Fischer continues to serve his fellow veterans and community in the Zack Wheat Post 624 American Legion Honor Guard in Sunrise Beach.
Kansas City Chief’s former Running Back, and Outstanding Player of 1990, Christian Okoye, left, visits with local veteran Rich Fischer in July 2023 at a fundraiser for Wonderland Camp at Shady Gators in Lake Ozark. Fischer met Okoye when he represented the Coast Guard in 1990 on the joint service color guard team at the annual Touch Down Club Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C. Okoye is holding a picture taken at their first meeting. (submitted photo)
All eligible veterans, including military retirees, are entitled to military funeral honors. At a minimum, the funeral honors ceremony consists of the playing of taps and the folding and presentation of the American flag to the next of kin. “It is good for the deceased family and friends to see their loved one honored. It helps them to realize their sacrifice and service to our country,” Fischer said.
“When we honor our fallen veterans here in Missouri it is just as important as what it was when we did it in Arlington,” Fischer said. “I am just as proud to stand with these men and women here as I ever was there.”
The American Legion Zack Wheat Post 624 Honor Guard presents at a 9/11 Ceremony at the post in Sunrise Beach. (photo by Janet Dabbs)
The American Legion Zack Wheat Post 624 invites veterans to join the American Legion and serve in the Honor Guard. “We are kept busy here in the Lake area honoring our fallen veterans,” Fischel said. One Saturday this summer, they conducted three funerals in a single day.
Several of the Honor Guard Team members recently retired so they are seeking alternates to fill in. The Honor Guard also participates in parades, events, and with assisting in the community in various ways.
For information about joining the American Legion and the honor guard call Post 624 Commander Austin Teel at 573-280-7585 or visit lakelegion.com.
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