After graduation from the University of Eastern Illinois, Fritz Herr was commissioned in the United States Nay through Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1967. He earned his Navy "Wings of Gold" on July 8, 1968. After A-4 Skyhawk transition training at Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA Fritz immediately joined Navy Attack Squadron 216 aboard USS Coral Sea in the South China Sea and began flying combat Missions over North and South Vietnam.
At the completion of his combat tour, he joined the Navy's Operational Test Squadron VX-5 at Naval Air Station China Lake, California, where he flew operational test flights on various Navy aircraft. After this tour Fritz was again selected for another unique tour with the Royal Navy 809 Squadron in the United Kingdom. He flew the Buccaneer on HMS Ark Royal in the United Kingdom. His next tour was as an instructor in the A-7 Corsair with Navy Attack Squadron 174. Other duty assignments included NASs Oceana, Norfolk, Cubi Point, and USS Independence.
Shortly after retiring from the Navy in 1987, Fritz began flying Navy Aircraft again as a contract pilot in the Naval Flight Officer training program at NAS Pensacola, Fl. In 35 years of flying Fritz accumulated over 10,000 hours of flying. On May 8, 2002, while on a training flight, Fritz "reached out and touched the face of God" in a tragic aircraft accident.