 Serving as a sergeant in Troop D, 6th Cavalry, in the Philippines, Fechet was commissioned in December 1900 with date if rank from July 1, and for the next six years served in many cavalry assignments, including service in Hawaii, against the insurgents in the Philippines, and on the Punitive Expedition into Mexico.In 1912, as a captain in the 4th Cavalry, Fechet was assigned to duty at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.On April 10, 1907, while stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, as a first lieutenant with the 9th Cavalry, Fechet married Catherine Luhn, daughter of retired Major Gerhard L. Luhn and sister of the depot adjutant, Captain William L. Luhn of the 10th Cavalry.