World War II Honoree

Quanah 'Chief' P. Fields

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Grove, Oklahoma

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. HE WAS THE FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN ‘CHEROKEE DESCENDANT’ TO BE KILLED IN WWII. INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY AIR CORPS DECEMBER 28, 1940 AT FORT GEORGE, WRIGHT, WASHINGTON AND WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE AVIATION FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM. GRADUATED AS A FIGHTER PILOT WITH THE CLASS OF 41-F, 1941 AT RANDOLPH FIELD ‘WEST POINT OF THE AIR’, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. UPON HIS GRADUATION, HE ACCEPTED HIS COMMISSION WITH THE RANK OF 2ND LIEUTENANT AND HIS SILVER PILOT WINGS. SERVED AS A CURTISS P-40 ‘WARHAWK’ FIGHTER PILOT ASSIGNED TO THE 3RD PURSUIT SQUADRON ‘PROVISIONAL’, U.S. 5TH AIR FORCE STATIONED AT AMBERLEY FIELD, AUSTRALIA. HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1942 DURING AN ENCOUNTER WITH SOME JAPANESE ZEROS OVER THE AREA OF SOERABAJA, EAST JAVA. REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION AND LOST AT SEA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1942 AND IS MEMORIALIZED AT THE MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY LOCATED AT FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. DECORATIONS AND MEDALS: AIR MEDAL AND THE PURPLE HEART. THE AIR MEDAL WAS AWARD TO THE LIEUTENANT FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT.