USNR Lt. Frank Moore Fisler was born in Bladen County, NC on September 4, 1916, the son of Gilden Elvin Fisler (1887-1966) and Ola Margaret Blue (1892-1963). Between 1920 and 1940 his father supported his family of ten children working in a sawmill and finally as a postal mail carrier. His father attended Lafayette College in Pennsylvania from 1909-1913. When his own time came, Frank enrolled in St. Andrew's Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC and graduated in 1936. He then attended King's College in Bristol, Tennessee, which is a private Presbyterian affiliated college founded in 1867. While attending, he took his naval flight exams and enlisted immediately upon graduating in 1938. He was sent to NAS Pensacola to begin his flight training and of course met a Pensacola girl. He and Beulah Gertharine Miller Lane were married in Milton on September 30, 1939 thus becoming an adopted son of Pensacola. His wife was the daughter of Leonard and Beulah Miller and was employed as a beautician.
Frank was assigned to Patrol Squadron VP-51 that flew the PBY-1 seaplane aircraft (later redesignated VP-101). Originally assigned to NAS Miramar in California, the squadron soon departed for Barber's Point, Oahu. On December 30, 1941, only 23 days after the Pearl Harbor attack, Frank was on patrol when they spotted men floating in the 40-foot seas below. Frank radioed HQ requesting permission to attempt a rescue, which was denied. But Frank asked his crew should they risk it or abandon them to their fate. They chose to go for it. Miraculously, Frank landed the plane in a huge trough amidst the turbulent seas then spent three perilous hours picking up the nine Army crewmen of the downed American bomber. The weight of the extra men imperiled the takeoff but they made it, barely. For his bravery, Frank received the Navy Cross from the famous Admiral Chester Nimitz, which they believe to be the first of World War II. Afterwards, the squadron had their PBYs replaced by the new B-24D patrol planes similar to the USAAC bombers. The squadron was then transferred to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal where they began flying patrol and bombing missions elsewhere in the Solomon's.
As they entered combat in February 1943, the squadron began taking casualties as the Japanese fighters became increasingly more aggressive. Then on March 5, 1943. Frank and his crew took off from Henderson Field with eight other bombers. They were heading for Ballale Island off the southern tip of Bougainville with the hopes of finding and sinking enemy shipping. Finding no targets, they headed for home but somewhere along the way, Frank and his crew disappeared entirely never to be heard from again. His wife, sister, and parents received the dreaded telegram as another naval aviator from Pensacola was entombed at the bottom of the Pacific. As to Gertharine, there are indications she enlisted in the USAAC on 2-17-1943 in Jacksonville but regardless there are no further indications of her whereabouts.
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