First Lieutenant James Herschel Fields is being inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame for Valorous Combat Service. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions above and beyond the call of duty during the Normandy Campaign in World War ll. | 1LT Fields was born in Caddo, Texas on 26 June 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 in 1942 and in 1943 graduated from Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia. After OCS, 1LT Fields was assigned to the 10th Armored Infantry Regiment, Fourth Armored Division as an Infantry Platoon Leader.

Fields was cited for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 27 September 1944, at Rechicourt, France. Although he was wounded in the face by a bursting shell and rendered speechless, he directed his platoon in a successful counterattack against the enemy. His leadership and determination to close with and destroy the enemy contributed in large measure to the successful capture of the Battalion objective. His military awards include Medal of Honor, Combat Infantryman Badge, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal, French Liberation Medal, The French Croix de guerre w/ two palms.

LT Fields died 17 June 1970 at the age 49 and is buried at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, Texas.