Robert (Bob) D. Shields - Private to Staff Sergeant to Second Lieutenant.

Served with distinction in the Hq1 Communications Platoon from February 1943 to November 1945.                                             

On April 15, 1945, Bob Shields was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Bob remained assigned to Hq1 as the Communications Platoon Leader until November1945 when he returned to the United States for separation. 

Bob Shields is a distinguished member and an outstanding example of the “Greatest of the Greatest Generation.” He served courageously and successfully in the military during World War II, and subsequently enjoy-ed a lifetime career in law enforcement and public service.   

Bob was born August 2, 1920 in Sparkville, New York. He enlisted in the Army November 25, 1941 and served in the Second (Horse) Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas.  He left the cavalry to attend the Parachute School at Fort Benning, Georgia.  After qualification as a parachutist and graduation from the Communications School, Bob was assigned to the 508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508^th PIR) at Camp Mackall, North Carolina.  

At the time, the 508^th PIR was a newly activated regiment. Camp Mackall had been carved out of the swamps of North Carolina and required a lot of additional work to make it suitable for troops.

The 508^th PIR troops did the fatigue work of clearing debris and brush, turning muddy tracks into roads,  and just plain old-fashioned pick and shovel labor. The supervising noncommissioned officers referred to it as “beautification of the area.”  

Notwithstanding the need for “fatigue” (labor) details, the regiment began advanced infantry and airborne operations training programs.

The advance infantry program included strenuous field exercises, crew-served weapons drills and firing, small unit and battalion exercises.