Col. Thell Fisher -- decorated Marine fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam

John Koopman, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Thell Fisher was a Marine.

If he had the opportunity to write his own obituary, that sentence might have been the entire story. He was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for heroism in combat, and saw action in three of the fiercest battles of World War II. He fought in Korea and again in Vietnam, twice, and retired after 30 years' service at the rank of full bird colonel.

Col. Fisher died Feb. 8 in a fire at the home of his son in the Twin Peaks area of San Francisco. He was 89.

"My father fought the Japanese, the Koreans, the Chinese and the Vietnamese," said Col. Fisher's son, Stan. "I've heard a lot of derogatory words to refer to those people, but never my dad. I never even heard him refer to them as 'the enemy.' He had too much respect for them to do that."

Col. Fisher was a seasoned officer and decorated Marine during an era when much of the lore and mystique of the Marine Corps was created. He counted among his friends Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, probably the most exalted Marine ever. He knew commandants and future commandants. As a young lieutenant, his radio operator was Leon Uris, who would go on to write books such as "Exodus," "Trinity" and an ode to the Marine Corps, later made into a movie, called "Battle Cry."

Thell Harland Fisher was born Jan. 16, 1918, around Jenks, Okla.. He was one-quarter Cherokee Indian. He had six brothers and one sister, Stan Fisher said, and everyone worked in the oil fields or picked cotton.

He won an athletic and academic scholarship to Drake University in Iowa, where he played halfback on the football team.

After he graduated from Drake, he played professional football for $100 an hour.

In the summer of 1941, he realized the United States would soon be at war. Rather than wait to be drafted, he enlisted in the Marines, his son said. Shortly after finishing boot camp, he was sent to Quantico, Va., to officers school, and eventually received a commission as a second lieutenant.

He wanted to fly, but poor eyesight kept him on the ground. His fraternal twin brother, Thad, had no such problem, however, and joined the Army Air Corps to fly P-47 Thunderbolts against the Germans. He was shot down while providing air support during the Battle of the Bulge. His remains were never recovered.

Col. Fisher became an infantry officer with the 2nd Marine Division that shipped out to the Pacific island of Guadalcanal, in what was the first U.S. offensive against the Japanese.

"That was the first time he ever got shot at," Stan Fisher said.

The next year, he was a captain in command of Fox Company -- 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment -- as it hit the beach on a tiny atoll called Tarawa. What was supposed to be an easy fight turned into one of the bloodiest battles per square foot in the Pacific Theater to that time. His company along with two others chased a couple of hundred Japanese soldiers along the atoll until they had killed or captured every one. Very few were captured.

"What really struck my dad was that those Japanese soldiers set up Christmas decorations for the Marines who were chasing them," Stan Fisher said. "They found some candles and ornaments set up, and it just struck him. He really respected them, even if they were going to fight to the finish."

In 1944, Col. Fisher and Fox Company hit the beach at Saipan. Early on, there was a problem with the American lines, creating a gap of about 800 yards, Stan Fisher said. He coordinated tank and infantry fire and held back a tremendous Japanese attack. For that action, he was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for gallantry in combat.

He remained in the Marines after the war. In 1950, the United States became involved in the Korean conflict, and he fought in his second war. Stan Fisher said his father received a Bronze Star in Korea, but he did not know the details of the action.

He was a colonel when the United States entered Vietnam. He commanded a regiment in his first tour and worked as a liaison in his second. He retired in 1971.

He worked for the Xerox Corp. for a while and lived in San Diego. In 1999, Stan Fisher said, he and his wife tricked his father into moving in with them in San Francisco.

Stan Fisher said his father seldom talked about his medals or exploits. Col. Fisher liked regular people and regular Marines. He avoided going to unit reunions, Stan Fisher said, because most of the people who attended were "in the rear with the gear" during the actual battles.

While Stan Fisher was never a Marine, his father never gave him a hard time about it. His father was tough but loving, he said.

"I'm 56, and as I got older, I saw my father's weaknesses," he said. "But he never lost one inch of respect in my eyes.

"Dad didn't care about money or material things. All he cared about was who you were as a person."

Col. Fisher was preceded in death by his wife, Lois Kathleen, in 1990, as well as all six brothers. He is survived by his sons, Stan Fisher of San Francisco and Thad Garland Fisher of Santa Fe, N.M.; a sister, Thellann Fisher, of Santa Fe; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Services are pending.

Ellie