A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME INTERCHANGE LOCATED AT EXIT 38 ALONG INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 95 IN HAMPTON COUNTY "MAJOR GENERAL ARNOLD FIELDS INTERCHANGE" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS LOCATION CONTAINING THE DESIGNATION.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly take great pride in commending members of the United States Armed Forces who serve this great nation with valor and distinction; and

 

Whereas, born in Early Branch on October 1946, Major General Arnold Fields, United States Marine Corps Retired, rose from his humble beginnings to become a legendary Marine Corps officer; and

 

Whereas, in 1964, Major General Fields graduated from North District Training School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from South Carolina State University, where he was commissioned through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1969, rising through the ranks from second lieutenant to become a Major General, culminating as Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces in Europe; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields retired from the Marine Corps in January of 2004 after thirty-four years of active military service; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields served as Chief of Staff of the Department of State's Iraq Reconstruction and Management Office at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and was later appointed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense as Deputy Director of the Department of Defense's Africa Center for Strategic Studies; and

 

Whereas, in 2008, Major General Fields was appointed by the President of the United States, the Honorable George W. Bush, as the first Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to conduct audits and investigations to promote efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction programs and to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields served as a Senior Advisor to the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration honoring the service, valor, and sacrifice of the nation's seven million Vietnam veterans living at home and abroad; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields' military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service, the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V", the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Combat Action Ribbon; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields was awarded the Department of State's Superior Honor Award for his civilian service with the U.S. Department of State in Baghdad; and

 

Whereas, Major General Fields is a recipient of South Carolina's Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest award presented by the governor to a civilian for exceptional leadership and service; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are grateful for the distinguished military career of Major General Arnold Fields and for the recognition he has brought to Hampton County and to this great State; and

 

Whereas, it would be only fitting and proper to pay tribute to this son of South Carolina by naming a portion of road in the State in his honor.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, request that the Department of Transportation the interchange located at Exit 38 along Interstate Highway 95 in Hampton County "Major General Arnold Fields Interchange" and erect appropriate markers or signs at this location containing the designation.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation and presented to Major General Arnold Fields.

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