Chester Hirschfelder was born on January 10, 1894, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 29, 1909, and served as an Infantryman, Platoon Sergeant, and Quartermaster Sergeant with the 26th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines and during the Mexican Expedition, from November 1909 until he was commissioned a 2d Lt of Infantry on July 11, 1917. During World War I, Captain Hirschfelder served with the 5th Machine-Gun Battalion of the 2nd Division in France, and then on Occupation Duty in Germany before returning to the United States. He served as Post Commander at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in the 1920s, and as Commander of various Infantry units between the World Wars. Col Hirschfelder was serving as Commanding Officer of the 9th Infantry Regiment at the outbreak of World War II, and then attended additional training at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, from January to February 1942. He served as Executive Officer of the 352nd Infantry Regiment at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, from February to May 1942, and then as Acting Assistant Division Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, from May to July 1942. Col Hirschfelder next served as Regimental Commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment at Fort Sam Houston from July 1942 to December 1943, deployed to England from January to June 1944, and then through the D-Day Invasion at Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge from June 1944 to January 1945. He returned to the United States from January to March 1945, and then served as Executive Officer of the 17th Infantry Replacement Depot in France from March to April 1945. Col Hirschfelder served as Regimental Commander of the 16th Infantry Replacement Depot in France from April to June 1945, and he returned to the United States in August 1945. He was a patient at Brooke General Hospital at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, from August 1945 to January 1946, and he then remained at Fort Sam Houston pending reassignment until June 1946. Col Hirschfelder next served as a Member of the War Department Manpower Board in Dallas and then San Antonio from June to August 1946, followed by service as Assistant Executive Officer with Headquarters at Fort Sam Houston from August 1946 to December 1947. He served as Post Executive Officer at Fort Sam Houston from December 1947 to July 1948, and he then served with U.S. Army Caribbean at Fort Amador, Panama, from August 1948 to April 1949. Col Hirschfelder returned to the United States in May 1949, and then served as Acting Inspector General at Fort Sam Houston from May 1949 until his retirement from the Army on August 1, 1949. Chester Hirschfelder and his wife, Ethel Leona Thomas Hirschfelder (1895-1987) were married until his death on August 24, 1968. He was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, and his widow was buried with him in 1987.

His 1st (of 3) Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads:

For extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 5th Machine-Gun Battalion, 2d Division, A.E.F., near St. Etienne, France, 4 October 1918. When an enemy machine gun was inflicting heavy casualties upon his company, Captain Hirschfelder crawled forward alone across a field exposed to heavy machine-gun fire and threw hand grenades into the enemy position. His action silenced the machine gun and prevented further casualties to his company.