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Russel C. Fielding
May 15, 2018
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ISSUE:
- Veterans Hall of Fame
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Russel C. Fielding serves as a shining example of America’s Greatest Generation, having served his country and the cause of freedom in not one, but two wars.
Mr. Fielding first served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army’s 222nd Infantry Regiment from June 1944 to September 1946, during World War II, and again as a 1st Lieutenant from April 1951 to July 1952, during the Korean Conflict.
While assigned to the 42nd Infantry’s Rainbow Division during World War II, Lt. Fielding took part in several campaigns and was the proud recipient of numerous decorations, including the Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Combat Infantry Badge and a Presidential Unit Citation. On January 25, 1945, he sustained wounds as a result of a firefight with enemy German forces at his command post, for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. In the midst of this incursion and the ensuing battle that took the lives of several of his comrades, Lt. Fielding sheltered and eventually evacuated a number of wounded enemy soldiers brought by a German medic to his command post under the cover of a Red Cross flag.
After arriving at the notorious Dachau concentration camp on the day it was liberated from German forces, Lt. Fielding witnessed firsthand some of the worst atrocities of the War, and carries those memories to this day. He also witnessed eventual justice when he attended the International War Tribunal at Nuremburg following the end of WWII.
Upon his discharge from the Army, Lt. Fielding completed his education and earned a degree from the University of Illinois. Remaining with the U.S. Army Reserve, he was called back to active duty during the Korean Conflict, where he served in a noncombat role in Korea and Japan.
Lt. Fielding had a 39-year career with the Rome Daily Sentinel, retiring in 1985. He and his wife, Darlene, have two children and several grandchildren.
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