ASSUMPTION, Ill. (AP) — When Verl Fisher's B-17 bomber was shot down over Germany in October 1943, the former Assumption resident bailed out through the bomb bay, unsure of whether he and his comrades would survive to see each other again.

'I did not find out until 1997 or so that my co-pilot had made it out of the plane with his opened parachute in his arms,' Fisher, an Army Flight Officer during World War II, wrote in a record of his military service. 'He called me immediately when he saw my name and address in a government publication and realized that I had survived my jump.'

Fisher landed in an open field, injuring his back and knees and was captured by German soldiers, who imprisoned him and others who had survived the mission for more than a year and a half in the Stalag Luft III prison camp, which was used during the war to house more than 2,000 captured military personnel.

News of Fisher's ordeal and imprisonment made the local newspapers. He survived month after month of life in the crowded, fetid camp, communicating occasionally with his family and longing for home.

'We had no heat or water except what we could get from the cook shack or at the outdoor latrine,' Fisher wrote. 'The latrine was a building like we lived in with open pit toilets, which the Germans pumped out when they were full.'

He returned to Central Illinois, heralded as a hero and was reunited with the love of his life, wife Frances 'Cookie' Fisher, in June 1945.

Now residing in Georgia, Fisher is again serving as a hero for servicemen and women in his hometown.

He recently set up a fund to provide area military personnel, veterans and their family members with financial assistance for needs ranging from day to day items to transportation and medical expenses.

'The fund is for any military personnel — those who have been in service and those who are still presently in service,' said Fisher's longtime friend Trudy List, who serves on a local board set up to oversee and administer the endowment.

Fisher was never short on stories of his experiences during the war, said another longtime friend, Bob Ashinhurst, who also serves on the board.

The endowment was set up through the First National Bank of Assumption to assist its residents and those living in outlying rural communities, Fisher said, adding that his own personal experiences during World War II and the hardships he has seen veterans' families face are what led him to start the fund.

List also recalled hearing Fisher talk about a situation in which he helped a fund a Georgia mother's visit to a German hospital to see her son, who had been critically wounded in combat.

'That's what started him thinking,' List said, adding that as long as she's known him, Fisher has always been community minded.

So far, more than $3,000 has been deposited in the fund, said Fisher. Board members said they would like to see at least $10,000 available in the fund at any given time.

List said that despite living far away, Fisher remains active in the community and tries to keep updated about the needs and situations of local veterans and military personnel.

'Most people are aware and should be aware,' she said. 'Once you've been in that situation, you become aware and keep track of things like that.'