COL (R) Joe Fischetti

COL (R) Joe Fischetti sat down with me for Heroes Live.

A hero of mine. Air defense. His kids were watching. Starling. Nick. Jason. Carol sat right there. He met her on Bumble in Alabama.

Dad met mom in Pirmasens in 1959. Crypto repairman. Joe was born in 1960. Waterbury, Connecticut until he was fourteen. Dad got out. Then reenlisted as a 38-year-old PFC. Hawk. 256 Nike. Charlie Battery. Then Delta. PFC to warrant officer in the same battalion.

Psychology degree. Logistics GS. He wanted Germany back. Enlisted in El Paso. Home of record. Recruiting station on Dyer Street. First degree in the family. Dad made him take him down there before he signed. Fort Sill. Then OCS.

Patriot. Platoon leader in Germany. Battery command. Israel in Desert Storm. Haifa. Then Riyadh. He commanded 2-552. We ran down the road behind him. We saluted him when we walked by.

Catcher. His dad moved him off the mound. Field general. Signs. Shift the center fielder. That is where the leadership bug got in.

Proud of his children and his grandchildren. Advice to the officer corps. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Call Fischetti. He will be a sounding board. Always an air defender.

2-552. Battalion. Take charge of your units. That is why we hit record. Get the story on tape before we are too old or too sick to tell it.