MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Some men walk this earth without making a long lasting impact, while some men, because of their character, are never forgotten. The enduring effect that retired Maj. Gen. Arnold Fields has had on the Marine Corps is now but an echo...an echo that still rings strong, five months after his retirement.
Major Gen. Fields retired in January, but he now has received the Distinguished Service Medal.
On June 25, in his hometown of Varnville, S.C., Maj. Gen. Fields was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy. Maj. Gen. Fields' longtime friend, Lt. Gen. Martin R. Berndt, commander U.S. Marine Forces, Atlantic, who served with Maj. Gen. Fields in Europe, flew in to bestow the honor upon his former deputy.
"I am here to honor one of the people that I consider to be one of the greatest leaders in our country today," said Lt. Gen. Berndt. "[He is] a native son who has gone on to achieve great things, not only for himself, but for his country. If you were to line up all of the people that were influenced by General Fields from the time when he was a second lieutenant until today, there would not be enough room in the state of South Carolina to put them all."
According to the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, "the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the United States in a duty of great responsibility."
The Secretary of the Navy is the only one who has the power to award this particular medal, said Lt. Gen. Berndt.
"Within the Department of the Navy, it is the highest award that can be given for distinguished meritorious service. There is no higher award," he said. "The fact that we are here today, on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy, to present General Fields with this award is very significant."
That significance stands as a testament to the character of the man himself. Humble by nature, he led by example and still hopes his leadership has made an impact.
"I hope that somewhere along the way I have made somebody's life better because I know that somewhere along the way somebody has made mine better," said Maj. Gen. Fields.
From 1972 to the summer of 1974, Fields served as a series commander aboard the Depot, and then moved on to serve as the assistant director of the drill instructor school.
"Through that medium he has really had a hand at building Marines," said Lt. Gen Berndt. "With a style of leadership that is unique, it is certainly something that he has embraced. He is a quiet person who exercises his leadership through what he does, not always what he says. He is an 'actions-speak-louder-than-words' kind of guy and he has influenced a lot of people, particularly while he was at recruit training."
Although humble, Fields was bound to make an impression in the realm of recruit training.
"I was just under three years active-duty when I reported to Parris Island," said the retired general. "That opportunity to lead the cream of the crop taught me a lot about leadership and helped me hone some of my leadership skills early on. I look at that as one of the top three or four assignments that I have had."
Fields found it to be very rewarding to see some of his recruits go on to become gunnery sergeants and even sergeants major. He found much the same to be true of his time teaching at The Basic School, where he would see some of his students go on to become colonels.
"I would [say] that nothing will replicate what Marines share," said Maj. Gen. Fields. "However, I find that much of the life after the Marine Corps is really the same kind of life I was living. You are still working with people, you are still trying to raise people up and that is what we do as Marines."
Maj. Gen. Fields foresees continuing that camaraderie and spirit that Marines share with one another through contributing to community activities and giving more of his time to the Arnold Fields Community Endowment. The endowment gives scholarships to four local high school seniors every year, and aspires to build Hampton County into a cultural center of excellence, and promotes community outreach.
The endowment uses Maj. Gen. Fields as an icon of what a person can accomplish, said Charlie Grant, director of the Jasper County Detention Center and founder of the Arnold Fields Community Endowment.
Grant showed great appreciation in describing the lengths to which Fields would go to show his support for the endowment by making himself as available as was possible to the it over the years. That time is precious and sparse for an officer in the military, however, whenever he had it to give, he would give it, and be there in support of the endowment.
Grant also alluded to the fact that it is fitting that Maj. Gen. Fields' journey into and out of the Marine Corps began and ended in the same place - Hampton County, S.C. That county is where the endowment rose from an idea to fruition. Leading the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow echoes his life as a Marine and as a citizen.
"Respect the institution of which we are a part," said Maj. Gen. Fields. "It stands not just for the Marine Corps, but it stands for the American people."
Trust our young Marines who, "will hold up the ideals upon which our Marine Corps was inaugurated," he said.