FOR DUTY AND HUMANITY
By Peter Vuono
This short tale is dedicated to the memory of veteran Billy McCann(1947-1971) who selflessly paid the ultimate sacrifice and to every man and woman who served in the armed forces.
"No greater love is there than when a man lay down his life for his friends"- Jesus
FOR DUTY AND HUMANITY
As my son and I watched "American Sniper", I wondered how many Hollywood actors had really walked the walk as an American veteran. I fear that there have been precious few since the days of Jimmy Stewart who flew many combat missions in WWII. This tale is one of a true Hollywood hero who paid the ultimate price, My favorite place in 1960 was the Wollaston, Ma theater in Quincy. I spent EVERY Saturday afternoon there going to the movies and it was there, I believe , that my personality was formulated. Steve Reeves made me want to be strong and my penchant for comedy came from three men that I had never seen before 1960. I found out that they were called the 3 Stooges and my life would later change for the better because of them. I'd use their lines in both the classroom and in my magic act. I would later make thousands of kids laugh thanks to them.
The Stooges worked for Columbia Pictures and had many stock actors play in their short, 20 minute features. One such actor was Thomas Richard Potts who would later change his name to Richard Fiske .Fiske, who was born in Shelton Washington was only in his 20's. He was tall(6'3"), athletic and very handsome. He would be the perfect foil to hire for the Stooges. Fiske made 13 shorts with the Stooges and gained so much popularity with his skills and good looks that he made dozens of serials shortly after his hiring in 1938.
Among the 13 shorts he made with the Stooges was "Boobs in Arms" where he played a drill instructor failing to make the Stooges conform to Army regulations. An important short, however was "You Nazty Spy", Fiske acted in this short which was the first film ever(Jan 1940) to parody Adolph Hitler, a full 9 months before Charly Chaplin's "Great Dictator". Acting in a parody, however was not enough for Fiske and he, at age 28 joined the Army.
He moved his way up the ranks and became a first Lieutenant before being shipped abroad. Fiske was not the type of officer to sit back and observe the war. He demanded to fight in the front lines along side his men and was killed in action while fighting in the Battle of Normandie(La Croix-Avranchin) in 1942.
Fiske was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, The Bronze Star and several other awards. His remains would not return to Hollywood. He is interred in the Brittany American Cemetery in Normandie.
Action stars will come and go and continue to make millions for studios but without the real credentials there will always be something missing.
As long as we Americans continue to breathe free from tyranny and terrorism, the "Duty and Humanity" of Richard Fiske and all veterans will not be forgotten nor will it go in vain.
