October 31, 2015
‘Lost Class of 1944’ member still fighting for fellow veterans
BY JOHN LARSON
In December 1941, incensed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, George Fisher ’11Hon. of Palm Beach, Fla., enlisted in the Army, one of thousands who heeded the same call. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native couldn’t have imagined that almost 75 years later he’d still be garnering attention for his distinguished military service and for championing veterans’ rights.
In the summer of 1943, Fisher and 380 other young men were sent to Providence College to begin officers’ training as part of the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). Prompted by the lowering of the draft age to 18 that reduced enrollment at colleges, the ASTP was instituted by the Army at more than 120 higher-education institutions countrywide.
The program trained “the best and the brightest” military recruits in various academic fields. In return, the student-soldiers would receive a college education, a commissioned officer rank, and the promise to rebuild Europe after the war.
“Life at PC was marvelous,” said Fisher. “We went to class every day, studied all night, and we got weekend passes every weekend. The Dominicans were very accommodating and helped all of us adjust to our new routines. It was a wonderful way to spend the war …. until that fateful day in March 1944.”
Early that March morning, the student-soldiers were awoken in their PC dorms and told to pack up their belongings. With the top-secret Allied invasion of Normandy looming, they were sent to train in Tennessee and South Carolina, and then joined the 328th Infantry Regiment of the 26th Yankee Division in Europe. Three months after D-Day, they found themselves far from their dorm rooms, as their regiment landed on Omaha Beach in September 1944.
Most of the soldiers never returned to PC to complete their degrees. In fact, 37 members of this group, known as PC’s “Lost Class of 1944,” were killed in action.
Fisher fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. Fisher was wounded during an attack on a village in Luxembourg when a piece of shrapnel tore through his leg. At that moment, he said, “for me, the war was over.”
After spending nine months recovering in the hospital, Fisher was discharged in August 1945 with a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and a Combat Infantry Badge to show for his bravery.
PC roots run deep
After the war, Fisher earned a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College in 1947 and began a successful career as a residential and commercial real estate broker in Manhattan. He retired in 1985 and has remained active in veterans affairs ever since.
Although he never returned to PC to complete his education, Fisher always had a special place in his heart for the College.
“I can’t say enough about my time at Providence College,” Fisher said. “I have remained friends with most of my classmates to this day. We have a bond that will never be broken. I’m so grateful for the opportunity PC gave us all.”
As part of the Class of 2011 Commencement Exercises, Fisher and his ASTP classmates were awarded PC’s first-ever honorary bachelor’s degree for their service to their country. At the time, the now 90-year-old Fisher was the only member of the group able to attend, and he accepted the award on behalf of his classmates.
Fisher has returned to PC several other times to address ROTC students about his military service. He has never forgotten his classmates who did not return from the battlefields. He played an instrumental role in 1998 in the dedication of a plaque at PC’s War Memorial Grotto to the 37 men of his unit who were killed in action during World War II.
Remembrance and reflection
In February this year, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, the Southeast Florida Chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge (VBOB) unveiled a monument at the Boynton Beach Veterans Park to memorialize the 19,000 soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice.
Fisher co-founded the chapter in 1998 and continues to serve as its president. It is the largest of 58 VBOB chapters in the U.S. and meets twice a year. Its meetings are well attended — close to 150 people come to catch up with friends and listen to the guest speakers. To spread the word about the greatest generation to new generations, Fisher also speaks to local schools about his experience in the Battle of the Bulge.
A few weeks after the VBOB event, Fisher received a Florida Veterans Service Award from Gov. Rick Scott in honor of his ongoing and lifelong service. Florida is home to the third-largest population of veterans in the nation.
Fisher summed up his feelings about his fallen comrades this way. “Our brothers still march with us, but their footsteps make no sound, and they will never grow old as we who are left to grow old.”
Learn more about these veterans through Phillips Memorial Library’s Army Specialized Training Program digital collection.
