--- title: "This generous billionaire dedicated his life to taking care of the military and their families" date: "2018-04-02" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/this-generous-billionaire-dedicated-his-life-to-taking-care-of-the-military-and-their-families/" categories: - "Heroes" - "History" - "Veterans" --- # This generous billionaire dedicated his life to taking care of the military and their families ![]() The Fisher Family is an American dynasty. They started as a family of contractors and would eventually build a real estate firm that came to shape the iconic Manhattan skyline. --- Zachary Fisher started in construction when he was just 16 years old. The company he and brothers, Martin and Larry, would form came to be worth some $1.6 billion dollars today, [by Forbes' estimate](), and owns an incredible five million square feet of space. Theirs is an amazing story of the American Dream — but what they chose to do with their wealth is an even more amazing story. ![]() *Zachary Fisher after creating the Intrepid Museum in New York.* Fisher could not join the Marines in World War II because of a leg injury. Instead, put his best skills to work on the home front, assisting in building coastal fortifications in the United States. He was a strong supporter of the Armed Forces, the people protecting the American Dream that allowed him to become the man he did. He never forgot his love for the military and the people who serve. He once said he began giving to the Armed Forces to pay a debt he owes them. "There is nothing more important than someone giving their life for me," [he told the New York Daily News in 1998](). "Here I am living in this free country because someone is giving their life for me. I feel grateful, and I always will." By the 1970s, his philanthropy within the Armed Forces culminated in saving the USS Intrepid from the scrap heaps. Instead of losing the storied aircraft carrier that fought in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, Fisher's work and patronage allowed for the construction of the USS Intrepid Museum in New York City in 1982, now the largest naval museum in the world. That same year, he founded the Zachary and Elizabeth M. Fisher Armed Services Foundation. ![]() *The USS Intrepid in New York City.* When the Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed in 1983, it was Fisher's Foundation that [sent a $10,000 check to every single family]() of the 241 Marines who died that day. It wouldn't bring back their loved ones, but it would take care of the necessities of life while the families grieved. It wasn't only those Marines who received help from the Fishers. The families of servicemembers killed in military accidents also found a small bit of solace as they mourned their losses. Notably, the families of sailors killed in a turret explosion aboard the USS Iowa also received financial help in the form of $25,000 each. The Fishers kept giving these extra funds for more than 20 years, because they considered the government's death benefits for those on Active Duty to be too low. [Through the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund](), they paid an individual benefit for every family until the government significantly increased the amount it gives. The Fishers even provided more than 700 scholarships to military members and their families who couldn't afford a higher education. ![]() *Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher.* It was in 1990 that the Fisher family began the legacy that would make them immortal in the hearts of military families: The Fisher House. Fisher heard about a service woman who was hospitalized while undergoing medical treatment. He was told her husband couldn't afford a hotel for the entire time, so he slept in his car for the duration of her hospital stay. Fisher learned the military had no plans for supporting military families in those circumstances, so he decided to solve the problem himself. Fisher Houses were born. The Fisher House is a program dedicated to building comfort homes for the families of hospitalized veterans and military personnel. The homes come with common kitchens, dining rooms, and recreational areas so that no one has to be alone during some of the most trying times of their lives. ![]() *Zachary Fisher with President William J. Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime of philanthropic work for military members and their families.* "I thought maybe it would help people financially,"[ Zachary Fisher once said](). "But I didn't count on the way families console one another. No one has to be alone in a motel room anymore. It just became a tremendous thing and had blessed my life in many ways." Fisher was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998 from President Bill Clinton for the wide range of support he provided the military and its families over his lifetime. Fisher didn't just provide financial assistance — he also sat on the board of influential organizations like the Navy League and established awards promoting excellence in military medicine. Zachary Fisher died on June 4, 1999, unable to to be present when President Clinton signed Public Law 106-161, which made Zachary Fisher an honorary veteran of the United States military. Even the spirit of his love for the military continues with those who run the Fisher House today. During the 2013 government shutdown, Congress wavered over paying death benefits to families of servicemembers killed in action. When word got to Fisher House, [they immediately pledged that they would make those payments]() where the government failed. ![]() Joseph Krebs Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War salutes a bust of Zachary and Melissa Fisher that adorns this and every Fisher House foyer. Today, his legacy lives on at each of the 72 Fisher Houses in three countries, still taking care of the families of wounded and disabled veterans under the VA's care. The Fishers provided more than six million nights of lodging, $17 million in scholarships, and 58,000 airline tickets — all for the families of wounded, ill, or disabled veterans. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()