JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
When Reginal Fisher Jr. held up his hand to take the oath to enlist in the Navy Feb. 1 at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, it was both an exciting and special day for him.
But the biggest memory that will stick with Fisher from that day is that his father, Navy Lt. Reginal Fisher Sr., administered the oath to him.
“It’s almost unexplainable,” said Reginal Jr. “I was just overwhelmed with emotion. I can say it probably was one of the most memorable moments of my life.”
The experience of administering the Oath of Enlistment to his son was surreal, said Reginal Sr., Navy Recruiting District San Antonio enlisted programs officer at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston.
“It was an emotional moment, a proud moment,” he said. “One I will definitely remember for the rest of my life, probably second to him being born. I’m swearing him into starting his journey as a man; it’s pretty big.”
The father administered the oath to his son at the San Antonio Military Entrance Processing Station. The processing station is located in the NRD San Antonio building Lt. Reginal works at.
Reginal Jr. is the fifth-generation servicemember in his family. Both of his great-grandfathers, Pfc. Tinzer Morrow and Cpl. Willie Lee Fisher, served in the Army. Morrow served during World War I and Willie Lee Fisher was a member of the Army Air Corps in World War II. His grandfather, Cpl. James Lewis Fisher, served in the Army during the Vietnam War. In addition, Reginal Sr. has been in the Navy for 22 years, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004-05.
By joining the Navy, Reginal Jr. said he wanted to follow the example of service set by his father.
“There were a couple of reasons why I decided to go into the service,” the younger Fisher said. “The first thing was I noticed how successful my father was, how happy he was with his job and how he has a passion for his job. The second thing was I would also learn from my father’s footsteps. Seeing how he lived was a way I wanted to live, a positive lifestyle and the way he gets things done is just phenomenal.
“So I came to my senses and I thought that would be a fantastic thing to do with my life,” he added. “And last but not least, I thought it would be a great way to set up my future and to support my country.”
Reginal Sr. said service to country has always been important to him and his family.
“My family has always been committed to service to your country, service to your community and service to each other, and that just rolled down to me,” he said. “I have the same core beliefs and it’s something I try to pass down to my kids too. There’s no greater honor than to serve your fellow man.”
Reginal Jr. enlisted in the Navy to become a hospital corpsman. His choice of occupation in the service is also being influenced by another family member, his mother, Micah.
“My mom just so happens to be a nurse,” he said. “I decided to take that as an opportunity to have something else in common with my mother. Making her proud and making my pop proud and also helping people, I couldn’t be any happier doing something like that.”
The elder Fisher said he did not pressure his son to join the military.
“I’m proud that he not only followed in my footsteps, which I thought was important, but he made a choice 100 percent based on what he wants,” he said.
Reginal Jr. will graduate from Steele High School in Cibolo, Texas, in May and start basic training by June.