Former Nellis commander Fischer dies at 65

Tuesday, March 24, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.

When Gen. Gene Fischer took over as 1st Tactical Fighter Wing commander at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia in 1982 and as commander of Nellis Air Force Base a year later, they were not performing at peak efficiency.

When Fischer left Langley for the Las Vegas job, his successor accepted an award for outstanding operational readiness that Fischer's leadership had earned.

When Fischer left Nellis for a high-level Pentagon job in 1985, his successor accepted the President's Award for Installation Excellence -- another honor brought about by Fischer's leadership.

Though not always there to take the bows, Fischer left an indelible mark in many places where he served during a 42-year career in the National Guard and Air Force.

Lt. Gen. Eugene H. Fischer, who as Nellis' 28th commander oversaw the first operational exercises of the then-top secret F-117 Stealth fighter, has died. He was 65.

Fischer, a resident of Piney Flats, Tenn., died March 17 in Boise, Idaho, while visiting his son, Lt. Col. Mike Fischer, who is stationed at Mountain Home AFB. The cause of death was complications from leukemia, his family said.

Interment services with full military honors will be Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Gene cleaned up things at Nellis and greatly improved the professionalism there," retired four-star Air Force Gen. Bill Creech of Henderson said Monday about Fischer, who served directly under him in the 1980s.

"He was good at analyzing problems and was firm but fair in dealing with them. I would say that if Gene hadn't started so late (in the Air Force) he would have earned a fourth star."

At age 19, Fischer entered the Illinois Air National Guard and learned to fly the P-51 Mustang, a World War II fighter. His unit was activated during the Berlin crisis.

In 1962, he accepted an offer to enter the Air Force as a captain. He retired as a three-star general in 1993. A command pilot with more than 5,500 flying hours, Fischer flew 200 combat missions over Laos and Vietnam.

"My father said his assignments at Langley and Nellis were his favorites because he accomplished so much (in a short time)," Mike Fischer said. "He was a likable man who took a genuine interest in the people he met."

Another of Fischer's sons, Mark Fischer, is an Air Force major in Goldsboro, N.C.

Born July 27, 1932, in Pekin, Ill., Gene Fischer entered the aviation cadet program at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., after joining the National Guard. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from Bradley and later earned a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University.

During his military career, Fischer flew everything from propeller planes to the F-15 jet and served at air bases in Florida, California, Vietnam, Korea and Panama. He graduated from the Naval War College in 1970 and the Air War College in 1974.

Fischer came to Nellis as a brigadier general (one star) in May 1983 and left as a major general (two stars) in October 1985 to become assistant deputy chief of staff and operations at Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon. He earned his third star on Aug. 2, 1991.

At Nellis, it was Fischer's job to jealously guard the military's biggest secret -- the Stealth fighter, a plane that cannot be detected by radar. It was used effectively in the Persian Gulf War.

"My father was a man of absolute integrity," Mike Fischer said of his dad's ability to keep such a big secret, even from his wife, Carol, his high school sweetheart who he married on Easter Sunday 1956. "He said a man can only give away his integrity -- it cannot be taken away."

Creech agreed: "It was a tribute to Gene and others who worked on the Stealth that it was kept secret for 5 1/2 years."

Fischer's decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star.

Four years ago, he retired to Piney Flats where he was a member of several civic groups including the Rotary Club and Shriners.

In addition to his wife and two sons, Fischer is survived by another son, Eric Fischer of Tucson, Ariz.; a daughter, Mindy Elizabeth Wade, of Savannah, Ga.; and five grandchildren.

DONATIONS: In Fischer's memory to the Jericho Shrine Temple Building Fund, P.O. Box 5548, Kingsport, Tenn. 37663.