RESERVIST MAGAZINE RETIREE SITREP WWII Coast Guard veteran saluted at 98 Story by Chris Stone, The Times of San Diego, used with permission Calling herself “the luckiest gal in the world,” Coast Guard veteran Gena Fischle soaked in well wishes Jan. 23 for her 98th birthday. Organized by Honor Flight San Diego, a convoy of cars filled with friends and veterans drove by to sing Happy Birthday to Fischle, who served in the women’s branch of the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II as a SPAR — an acronym for “Semper Paratus, Always Ready,”. “This is awesome,” said Fischle, who sat in a wooden chair outside Scripps Coronado Hospital, accompanied by her two daughters and her son. Holly Shaffner of Honor Flight San Diego said, “She saw a Coast Guard recruiting poster of Uncle Sam saying, ‘We Want You,’ so she enlisted in the service.” Fischle, then named Macres, enlisted in January 1943, two months after the SPARs was formed to release male service members for sea duty and to replace them with women at shore stations. (In December 1973, the first female enlistees were sworn into the regular U.S. Coast Guard.) Fischle attended boot camp at Sheepshead Bay, New York, and later was assigned as a storekeeper at a unit in Seattle. When the war ended, female Coast Guard members were sent home, but she said she would have been willing to make a career in the military. Asked why she enlisted, Fischle said: “I was able to raise the flag with the help of so many wonderful people who meant what they said and did it. And I am so glad to be part of the Coast Guard family. As you can see, they never let you down.” 36 RESERVIST � Issue 1 • 2022 Sherrie Steele, Fischle’s 72-year-old daughter, said her mother has a good attitude on life, enjoys walking and has watched her diet. “Mom cares,” Steele said. “She is very involved with the Coast Guard and activities.” Fischle went on her Honor Flight in 2017, and, in 2019 she was honored by Coast Guard Sector San Diego and Women’s Leadership Initiative during Women’s History Month, Shaffner said. Calling Fischle “feisty, spunky, quick witted and loving,” Shaffner said Fischle has been very active fundraising and helping find other veterans to go on their flights to Washington. Steele appreciates that her mother was a stay-at-home mom who was always there for the family. “It’s such an honor that everyone is doing this,” she said. “It’s really amazing, all that Holly and the Coast Guard do to promote the veteran. The veterans really need to be recognized for their service in trying to protect the rest of us.” Just before the parade of cars, a Coast Guard helicopter circled the hospital in a tribute to Fischle. Asked what led to her longevity, the female veteran laughed and said she was surprised and pleased by the length of her life. She pointed to her family — children, grandchildren and great grandchildren — as a positive element. Speaking of her military service, she said: “I was always so proud to be an American, to raise the flag, to say ‘I am an American.’ I think I did a very small part, but I did it from the heart.” �
