Chief Master Sergeant Wayne Fisk was born in Waldport, Oregon, on April 6, 1945, and raised on the Oregon Coast. In high school, Wayne was a member of the honor society, an award-winning cadet in the Alaska Civil Air Patrol, and he even turned down an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy to care for his terminally ill mother. In March 1966, Fisk enlisted in the Air Force and was accepted for pararescue training. In 1967, he served at Eglin AFB, Florida, until assigned to the 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (40th ARRS) at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand performing combat rescue missions in both Laos and North Vietnam. One year later, he transferred to Kindey AB, Bermuda, as a member of the Air Force primary recovery team for Apollo missions 8, 9, and 10.