Wayne Fisk

Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Fisk (born April 6, 1945) is a retired United States Air Force pararescueman. He was involved in Operation Ivory Coast, the raid on the Son Tay prisoner of war camp, and later the rescue of the crew of the SS Mayagüez. When the Mayagüez was hijacked by Cambodian Communist forces in May 1975, Fisk was a member of the assault force that successfully recovered the ship and the entrapped United States Marines. For his actions, he was awarded his second Silver Star.

Concluding the Mayagüez mission, Fisk was recognized as the last American serviceman to engage Communist forces in ground combat in Southeast Asia. In 1979, he was the first Air Force enlisted recipient of the US Jaycees Ten Outstanding Young Men of America. In 1986, he became the first director of the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall on Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex.

Early life Wayne Fisk was born in Waldport, Oregon, on April 6, 1945, and raised on the Oregon Coast. In high school, Wayne was a member of the honor society, an award-winning cadet in the Alaska Civil Air Patrol, and he even turned down an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy to care for his terminally ill mother. In March 1966, Fisk enlisted in the Air Force and was accepted for pararescue training.

Air Force career In 1967, Fisk served at Eglin AFB, Florida, until assigned to the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (40th ARRS) at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, performing combat rescue missions in both Laos and North Vietnam. One year later, he transferred to Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, as a member of the Air Force primary recovery team for Apollo missions 8, 9 and 10.

After only 11 months in Bermuda, Fisk voluntarily returned to Southeast Asia for two more consecutive tours with the 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. Fisk received his second Silver Star for this operation. Fisk (on the left) and Larry Holmes with their US Jaycees trophies, in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1979. Fisk's awards and decorations include the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Medal with 18 oak leaf clusters.

Fisk is married to the former Angelina Arceo from the Philippines. According to some sources, he is the father of the Pararescue tradition of getting tattoos of green footprints on one's buttocks.

In May 2023 Fisk received the United States Special Operations Command's Bull Simons Award.

Military awards and decorations

Master Parachutist BadgeSilver Star Defense Superior Service MedalLegion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross w/ Combat "V" Meritorious Service MedalAir Medal (19 total awards)Air MedalCommendation MedalAchievement MedalPresidential Unit CitationJoint Meritorious Unit AwardOutstanding Unit AwardOrganizational Excellence AwardNavy Unit CommendationCombat Readiness MedalGood Conduct MedalOutstanding Airman of the Year RibbonNational Defense Service MedalArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalVietnam Service MedalHumanitarian Service MedalAir Force Overseas Short Tour Service RibbonAir Force Overseas Long Tour Service RibbonAir Force Longevity Service AwardNCO PME Graduate RibbonSmall Arms Expert Marksmanship RibbonAir Force Training RibbonVietnam Gallantry CrossVietnam Campaign MedalAir Force Scuba Diver insignia