Remembering CPL Rolland Fair

If there was an undeniable statement one could make about Fox Company, 502nd PIR, it was the fact that the company was filled with remarkable and colorful paratroopers. There was never a dull moment nor day in Fox Company with men like Dan McBride, Emmert Parmley, Franklin Blasingame, Joe Pistone, and also their company commander Legs Johnson within their ranks.  

Rolland Fair from Mount Pleasant, Isabella County, Michigan, was one of these men. Fair rose to the occasion during the second day of the Battle at Best, when the company lacked leadership and direction because of the loss of their battle-hardened commander CPT Legs Johnson, two young officers, and several seasoned non-commissioned officers. In winning a war under these difficult circumstances, it often comes to personal initiative, which most of the time has nothing to do with rank. Emmert Parmley clearly remembered when Rolland Fair rose to the occasion at Best.

Fair’s leadership at Best

“In desperate situations, usually some person takes over. On this day, it was our former 1SGT Rolland Fair. I don’t know what his rank was, or if he had any at the time, for he was a private mostly. His only weapon this day was a British Webley Army pistol and his bullhorn voice. He constantly exposed himself waving that big revolver with the ring in the butt like he was going to throw it at someone. His girlfriend in England had given it to him. I am certain the Germans in Best could hear him roar out orders. I heard him bellow ‘E.O’. He always called me E.O. ‘Damn it E.O. go back to battalion – tell LT Atkins to send us up a machine gun. We need help!’”

Later that morning, when the situation during the attack was not going well, Rolland Fair again took charge of the situation.

“With his bullhorn voice, he directed the withdrawal, back to our original line we departed from that morning. We expected a counterattack. Fair had us dig in.”

Battle credits

After the war, Emmert Parmley would reflect on Fair’s actions that day.

“I always felt Rolland Fair should have had a commendation for his role in taking command and establishing a defense line but respect from fellow soldiers is a highly prized thing in the Army and this he received from us, although we never did tell him, so I am not sure if he knew.”

Probably unknown to Emmert Parmley, Rolland Fair did receive a Bronze Star Medal for his actions on September 19 (by a General Order of February 18, 1945).

Images: CPL Rolland Fair (Courtesy of Craig Clingan).

This is a short story about the operations of Fox Company’s paratroopers in the Netherlands, as described in the book: From the Frying Pan to Mittersill, Fox Company, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (1942 – 1945). If you are interested in learning more about this courageous Fox Company paratrooper, order your copy now!

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