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Upbringings
Born August 1, 1893, General fielder was raised in Cedartown, Georgia son of William and May Fielder. He was brilliant throughout his years of school being able to enroll in Georgia Tech and where he played football for the school. He graduated in 1916 with a Bachelor of Science degree in textile engineering it was soon moved to Atlanta Georgia as a real estate loan agent. -
World War 1
During the upcoming pursuit of the United States entering World War I, Fielder was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry branch on May 31, 1917. He, later on, entered base training at Fort McPherson.He climbed the ranks to Captain and took command of the Divisional Machine Gun Company. He led the unit in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel in 1918. -
Interwar period
Fielder stayed in the army and was sent to camp Funston, Kansas. He was a part of the 13th Infantry Brigade under Brigadier general Harry H. Bandholtz as a Brigade Adjutant. He soon moved with the brigade to Camp Meade, Maryland, following the deactivation of the brigade in September 1921, He joined General Bandholtz at the headquarters, Military District of Washington as his assistant adjutant. -
Interwar period pt.2
He was stationed in Luzon and commanded the 1st Company, 57th Infantry Regiment until May 1930. Fielder was then sent to the United States, and in June 1931 at Fort, Georgia he completed his graduate studies at the Army Infantry School in Benning. He then served as a unit commander at the Army War College in Washington, D.C. By mid-1935, he had been promoted to major and appointed battalion commander of the 34th Infantry Regiment at Fort Meade, Maryland. -
Interwar period pt.3
In June 1937, Fielder was sent to the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and following his graduation one year later, he rejoined his battalion at Fort Meade. Fielder was ordered to Hawaii in November 1938 and served as an officer in the 22nd Infantry Brigade under Brigadier General Clement A. Trott. He was in command at Scofield Barracks and partook in the training of Japanese American soldiers in the 298th Infantry Regiment, part of the Hawaii National Guard. -
World war 2 Pt.3
He investigated allegations of espionage and sabotage, worked with the press to ensure accurate reporting, and delivered two of his radio speeches to assuage fears among the population. During the events following the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Short was relieved of command on December 18, 1941, and replaced by Lt. I received Molokai or in the US. Emmons also established the Public Ethics Division in the Office of Civil Defense. -
World war 2 Pt.2
Fielder became an active member of the Interracial Unity Commission. The Interracial Unity Commission is one of many advisory groups to FBI Director Robert Severs in Hawaii to study and promote racial harmony among the island's diverse ethnic groups. is. After the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it was Fielder's job to dispel rumors and comfort citizens. -
World War 2 Pt.4
Fielder tried to persuade Emmons to rebel against the pressure of the military chain of command on the president. Many members of the Department of Public Order have confirmed an altercation between Fielder, Emmons, and Hung Wai Chin, who was also a member of the Department of Public Order, believes Fielder will be released and court-martialed during this time. Honolulu Police Liaison Group leader John Burns described Fielder as "warning courage and an outstanding American for his actions. -
World War 2 Pt.5
Unfortunately, the Japanese Americans were dropped from the Hawaiian Territorial Guard shortly thereafter. Among them were his ROTC students at the University of Hawaii who signed a petition to form a non-combatant labor battalion. This petition was submitted to Fielder, who in turn persuaded Emmons to form the Varsity Victory Volunteers, a Japanese-American civil pioneer corps. Fielder then urged General Emmons to form a Nisei combat unit out of Japanese Americans in Hawaiian Territorial Guard. -
World war 2
In February 1941, Fielder was promoted to Colonel and assigned to Fort Shafter, Honolulu, where he assumed the duties of the Hawaii branch's G-2 (Intelligence) Deputy Chief of Staff under Lieutenant General Walter C. Short. He also undertook additional duties as a military intelligence and counterintelligence commander in Hawaii and the Pacific. -
World War 2 pt.6
Emmons agreed and ordered Fielder to join the War Department's Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. by persuading the Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall, to form the force. Marshall enthusiastically agreed, and a provisional Japanese-American infantry battalion was raised and sent to the mainland for training on June 6, 1942. This unit was later designated the 100th Infantry Battalion. Fielder also served as Deputy Secretary of War John J. -
World War 2 pt.7
He met with McCloy and representatives of the Varsity Victory Volunteers, and later with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to discuss Japanese American issues. She promised to update the president on the matter, which led to a meeting with the president in Washington with representatives of the Varsity Victory Volunteers. -
World War 2 part 8
Meetings with Varsity Victory Volunteers, the 100th Battalion, and policymakers inspired the creation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (the 100th Battalion became the regiment's first battalion). Fielder and Emmons fully supported mainland efforts to organize the unit. On January 1, 1943, Marshall ordered the formation of his troops. Fielder became known as the "Father of 442". -
World War II part 9
Fielder remained as Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2 (Intelligence), Hawaii Branch under new commander Robert C. Richardson, Jr., and toured military installations in the Pacific Rim for the remainder of the war. He was promoted to brigadier general in early 1944 and was awarded the Army Medal for Merit, two Legion of Merit awards, and a Bronze Star medal for his service during World War II. -
world War II part 10
During the Battle of Okinawa in May and June 1945, fielder General Thomas Tallow asked Higa to go to Okinawa to persuade the Okinawan people to come out of the cave and surrender. -
Later work
After the war, Fielder was restored to the rank of colonel and moved to Washington, D.C. There he accepted a commission as the Army's Deputy Secretary of Public Information under Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Parks. In mid-1948, Fielder returned to Hawaii to join the U.S. Army Pacific Headquarters under Lieutenant General John E. Hull. -
later work pt 2
He has served as public relations officer. He was the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Civilian Component, and the new Commander John W. O'Daniel was appointed deputy commander of the U.S. Army Pacific Command in September 1952. -
retirment
Fielders retired from active service on July 31, 1953, and by law were again promoted to brigadier general, allowing army officers to retire at the highest rank they had served. During the parade at Fort Shafter and the review of his honor, General O'Daniel presented him with a certificate of merit for distinguished service.