Page 77 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Summer 2014

and worked as a surgeon at Boston City Hospital for Within minutes of initiation of the Cabanatuan raid,
2 1/2 years. Due to his surgical experience and his flu- nearly all Japanese resistance had been overcome. How-
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ency in French, Dr. Fisher expected to be assigned to a ever, a lone Japanese mortarman managed to fire three
surgical hospital in Europe; however, he was assigned rounds toward the main gate of the camp, sending frag-
to the 98th Field Artillery Battalion (Pack) as the unit ments into Dr. Fisher’s abdomen. During the exfiltration
surgeon and shipped with the unit to New Guinea in the to friendly lines, Dr. Fisher was taken to the surgical sta-
Pacific theater. When the 98th Pack Battalion became tion that he had established with Dr. Layug in Platero.
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reorganized as the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion, Dr. By now, Dr. Layug and his wife, also a physician, were
Fisher volunteered to remain with the battalion and par- joined by two American surgeons recently liberated
ticipate in its training for use as a Ranger unit. Fisher from the camp, Drs. James Duckworth and Merle Mus-
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insisted on participating in the same training as all other selman. Dr. Fisher was severely hemorrhaging from liver
Rangers, venturing out on training patrols and foot wounds, his intestines were riddled with shrapnel, and
marches that many other surgeons would have avoided. he was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Drs. Layug
He became endeared to the 6th Rangers who knew him and Musselman worked desperately to control the liver
simply as “Doctor Jimmy.” hemorrhage and remove shrapnel from Dr. Fisher’s ab-
domen, but the surgeons realized that Fisher’s wounds
As the 98th Pack Battalion surgeon in New Guinea, Dr. were too dire for their limited resources and circum-
Fisher established and ran a stationary unit health clinic, stances and would ultimately need the full resources
which he maintained after the battalion was reflagged of an American surgical hospital if he were to survive.
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as a Ranger unit. Dr. Fisher also provided medical care The Ranger column had to depart Platero to continue its
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for the native populations of New Guinea and the Phil- march back to friendly lines, but Dr. Fisher’s condition
ippines. During operations on the island of Luzon, Dr. was felt to be too severe to survive the entire march.
Fisher helped a young Filipino woman deliver her first
child. The mother was so moved by Dr. Fisher’s compas- Understanding this, the decision was made to leave a
sion that she asked him to be the godfather of the child. small guard force of Alamo Scouts, Rangers, and gueril-
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Later, during the Cabanatuan operation, Dr. Fisher met las in Platero in order to allow Dr. Fisher to continue
with a Filipino guerilla physician, Dr. Carlos Layug, to receive care from the Layugs and Dr. Musselman.
to establish a forward surgical station in the village of The battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Henry
Platero for the treatment of rescued prisoners and battle Mucci, then radioed the 6th Army headquarters to ar-
casualties after the liberation of the camp. Dr. Layug’s range for a fixed wing evacuation for Dr. Fisher. Fisher’s
wife later recalled Dr. Fisher’s interest in caring for the condition continued to deteriorate throughout the eve-
Filipino people after the hostilities ended by assisting ning and early morning. During this time, Dr. Fisher was
Filipino physicians in acquiring the equipment and med- transported by the Scouts and Rangers on a makeshift
icines necessary for proper treatment. Sadly, Dr. Fisher litter created from a large door to the nearby village
6,7
was never able to see through on this promise. of Balincarin where reportedly his evacuation aircraft
would land. The Alamo Scout detachment gathered lo-
Although it appears puzzling why Dr. Fisher was not cal workers and worked throughout the evening upon
assigned to a surgical hospital in Europe, in retrospect, their arrival at Balincarin to create a primitive landing
it was a great benefit to the battalion. The unconven- strip for the aircraft. Dr. Musselman remained at Dr.
tional operations of the Rangers sometimes prevented Fisher’s side throughout this time, but Musselman real-
wounded soldiers from receiving rapid surgical interven- ized that Fisher would likely not survive even if imme-
tion at a rear-area hospital. Dr. Fisher’s skill as a surgeon diately evacuated to a surgical hospital. Dr. Musselman
likely helped to make up for that lack of direct surgical went as far as conducting a direct vein-to-vein blood
support. Dr. Fisher and his medical detachment landed transfusion using an Alamo Scout donor who shared Dr.
with the first wave of assault troops during the invasion Fisher’s blood type. Despite Drs. Layug and Mussel-
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of Homonhan Island several days prior to the larger man’s valiant efforts, Dr. Fisher perished approximately
Leyte landings. He also argued for the opportunity to 15 hours after the start of the raid and his wounding.
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go forward with the assaulting rifle company during the For unclear reasons, no evacuation aircraft ever arrived.
Cabanatuan raid so that he could treat wounded sol-
diers as close to the point of injury as possible, rather
than awaiting casualties with Dr. Layug a few miles Medical Planning
away in Platero. Ironically, Dr. Fisher would become Medical planning appears to have been an integral part
6
one of only two Rangers killed during the operation. of operational planning for the Rangers. During the
However, the treatment and evacuation plan that he co- Homonhan Island operation, the battalion aid station
ordinated for the raid would prove effective and be a was task organized with the initial assault company in
major factor in the overall success of the operation. the battalion’s first wave. It is noteworthy that in the

Medical Operations of the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion 67