Fisher, Harry, 1911-....

Harry Fisher (1911-2003) was born in New York City, and spent part of his childhood in the Hebrew National Orphan Home. A communist and union activist, he served with the International Brigades in Spain from March 1937 until September 1938. He participated in most of the major campaigns of the war, including the battle at the Jarama front from April to June 1937; the offensive at Brunete from July to August 1937; the taking of Belchite in September 1937; and later the Teruel offensive in the winter of 1938, and the battle of the Ebro from July to September 1938. In Brunete, he served as a runner for Commander Oliver Law, the first African-American to command an integrated military unit. He later served as an engineer gunner in the American Air Force during World War II, and remained politically active throughout his life. In 1998 he published "Comrades", a memoir about his experiences in Spain.