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James H. Fields (June 26, 1920 – June 17, 1970) was a United States Army captain and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in France during World War II. ==Biography== Fields was born in Caddo, Texas on June 26, 1920. He graduated from Mirabeau Lamar High School in Houston, Texas in 1939. He attended the University of Oklahoma before he was drafted into the U.S. Army from Houston in February 1942,〔(WWII Army Enlistment Records )〕 and by September 27, 1944 was serving as a first lieutenant and a platoon commander in Company A, 10th Armored Infantry Battalion (redesignated from the 10th Armored Infantry Regiment in September 1943), 4th Armored Division. On September 27, he led First platoon located on top of Hill 265 since the night before, in a morning counterattack on enemy positions in Rechicourt, France. During the attack, he left cover to aid a wounded soldier (medic) in his platoon and was himself severely wounded in the face and head by shrapnel. Although his injuries left him unable to speak, he refused to evacuated himself and continued to lead his men with hand signals and written notes. When two machine guns began firing on his platoon, he left cover again and silenced the enemy emplacements. Fields and his platoon with the loss of their medics, successfully defended the hilltop for six hours in actions that also involved enemy tanks. He was awarded the Medal of Honor five months later, on February 27, 1945. Fields was the first person decorated in the field with the Medal of Honor by General George S. Patton Jr. He was also promoted to captain. Once Fields received his Medal of Honor, General George S. Patton Jr. had him sent back to the United States. General Patton stated in his book, "War as I knew It": ''"I told Gaffey I did not want Lieutenant Fields sent to the front any more, because it has been my unfortunate observation that whenever a man gets the Medal of Honor or even the Distinguished Service Cross, he usually attempts to outdo himself and gets killed, whereas, in order to produce a virile race, such men should be kept alive".'' He was an independent oil operator in Texas after the war, and died on June 17, 1970 at age 49. He was buried on June 20 in the Houston National Cemetery, in Houston, Texas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James H. Fields」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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