James Van Fleet | |
|---|---|
 Van Fleet in 1953 | |
| Born | (1892-03-19)19 March 1892 Coytesville (Fort Lee, New Jersey), U.S. |
| Died | 23 September 1992(1992-09-23) (aged 100) Polk City, Florida, U.S. |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1953 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 0-3847 |
| Unit | Infantry Branch |
| Commands | Eighth United States Army Second United States Army III Corps XXIII Corps 90th Infantry Division 4th Infantry Division 8th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion,29th Infantry Regiment 17th Machine Gun Battalion |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross (3) Army Distinguished Service Medal (4) Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (3) Purple Heart (3) Taegeuk Order of Military Merit |
| Other work |
|
GeneralJames Alward Van Fleet (19 March 1892 – 23 September 1992) was aUnited States Army officer who served duringWorld War I,World War II and theKorean War. Van Fleet was a native ofNew Jersey, who was raised inFlorida and graduated from theUnited States Military Academy. He served as aregimental,divisional andcorps commander during World War II and as the commandinggeneral of United States Army and otherUnited Nations forces during the Korean War.
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James Van Fleet was born in the Coytesville section ofFort Lee, New Jersey. His family then moved to Florida while he was an infant, and he grew up there. Van Fleet received his high school education at theSummerlin Institute inBartow, Florida.[citation needed]
After graduating from Summerlin in 1911, Van Fleet received an appointment to theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point, New York.[1] While he was a cadet at West Point, he was a member of theArmy football team and was a standoutfullback on the undefeated Army team of 1914.[2] Van Fleet graduated in the famous West Point Class of 1915, which included so many future generals that it has been called "the class the stars fell on" (stars being theinsignia of generals).[3] Van Fleet's classmates includedDwight D. Eisenhower andOmar Bradley, among many others.[4]
After graduation, Van Fleet was commissioned as asecond lieutenant into theInfantry Branch of theUnited States Army. He was assigned to a company of the3rd Infantry Regiment atPlattsburgh, New York, where he served from 12 September to 1 October 1915.[5] He then served atMadison Barracks, inSacketts Harbor, New York, until 11 May 1916. The 3rd Infantry was then transferred toEagle Pass, Texas, for service on the Mexican border until 8 October 1917, over six months after theAmerican entry into World War I. During his time in Texas, Van Fleet was promoted twice, to first lieutenant on 1 July 1916, and to captain on 15 May 1917.[6]
Van Fleet then transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he served as an instructor for provisional officers, 10 October 1917 to 22 March 1918; commanding Army Service Schools Detachment No. 2, to 6 April 1918; at Kansas City, Missouri, inspecting 7th Infantry Regiment, National Guard of Missouri, 1 to 5 April; at Camp Forrest, Ga., Camp Wadsworth, S. C., and Camp Mills, Long Island, commanding a company of the 16th Machine Gun Battalion, from 10 April to 4 July 1918. He received a temporary promotion to major on 17 June 1918.[5]
Van Fleet was then shipped toFrance, where he commanded the 17th Machine Gun Battalion, part of the6th Division, from 12 September 1918 to 11 June 1919. He was wounded in action in theMeuse–Argonne offensive on 4 November 1918, just seven days before theArmistice with Germany which caused hostilities to cease.[7]
After the war, Van Fleet was reduced to his permanent rank of captain in 1922 and promoted to major in theRegular Army in December 1924. While serving as the senior officer of theUniversity of Florida's U.S. ArmyReserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, Van Fleet also served as the head coach of theFlorida Gators football team in1923 and1924, after assistingWilliam G. Kline for a year.[8][9] He led the Gators into national prominence with a 12–3–4 (.737) record.[9]
From 1924 to 1927 he was stationed at Camp Galliard in thePanama Canal Zone where he commanded the 1st Battalion of the 42nd Infantry. This assignment was followed by one at the Infantry School atFort Benning, Georgia. At Fort Benning Van Fleet served as an instructor from April 1927 to September 1928 and as a student in the Advanced Course from September 1928 to June 1929. In addition to his other duties, Van Fleet served as head coach of the post's football team. Van Fleet then returned to the University of Florida where he was the Professor of Military Science and Tactics from July 1929 to June 1933.[7]
From July 1933 to July 1935 he was stationed atFort Williams inCape Elizabeth, Maine, where he served as commander of the 2nd Battalion of the5th Infantry and also as the post's executive officer. During this assignment, he oversaw the construction of a duck pond in the northwest corner of the parade field.[10]
Unlike the majority of his fellow officers who rose to high command in the next few years, Van Fleet was unique in the sense that he never attended either theCommand and Staff College or theArmy War College during his military career.[7]
Van Fleet commanded the 8th Infantry Regiment (part of the4th Infantry Division) for three years (July 1941 to July 1944) and led it into combat in Europe inWorld War II, participating in theD-Day landings onUtah Beach in June 1944. On Utah Beach Van Fleet distinguished himself by outstanding combat leadership and was awarded his firstDistinguished Service Cross (DSC).[11]
Although widely regarded by many as an outstanding officer, he was blocked from promotion because theArmy Chief of Staff, GeneralGeorge C. Marshall, who had a tendency to forget and confuse names, erroneously confused Van Fleet with a well-known alcoholic officer with a similar name. When General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former West Point classmate of Van Fleet's and now theSupreme Allied Commander in Western Europe, informed Marshall of his mistake, Van Fleet was soon promoted to divisional and corps command.[12]
Following promotion to brigadier general in August 1944, Van Fleet became the Assistant Division Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division (July to September 1944) and then briefly commanded the 4th Infantry Division (September to October 1944) before assuming command of the90th "Tough Ombres" Infantry Division (October 1944 to February 1945) and gaining a promotion to major general in November. He gained the admiration and respect of his superiors, in particular Lieutenant GeneralGeorge S. Patton, commander of theThird Army, for his command of the 90th.[13]
After briefly commandingXXIII Corps, on 17 March 1945 Van Fleet replaced Major GeneralJohn Millikin as commander ofIII Corps where Millikin served with Patton's Third Army.[14] Van Fleet commanded III Corps through the end of the war and theoccupation of Germany until returning to the United States in February 1946.
Van Fleet was reassigned toGovernor's Island, New York, as commander of the 2nd Service Command before becoming the Deputy Commanding General of the1st United States Army in June 1946. In December 1947 he went toFrankfurt, Germany as G-3 (operations officer) of theUnited States European Command.[15]
In February 1948, Van Fleet was promoted to lieutenant general and sent to Greece as the head of theJoint U.S. Military Advisory Group and executor of the "Truman Doctrine". He was instrumental in the outcome of theGreek Civil War by providing advice to the Greek government and 250 military advisers, as well as administering $400 million in military aid.[16] The central square in the northern Greek city ofKastoria has featured a bust of Van Fleet for many years, and was replaced with a new statue as recently as 2007.
Van Fleet was commanding general of theSecond United States Army from 10 August 1950 to 11 April 1951.
On 14 April 1951, Van Fleet arrived in Korea, replacing GeneralMatthew B. Ridgway as commander of theU.S. Eighth Army andUnited Nations forces.[17] Van Fleet was then promoted to four-star general on 31 July 1951. He commanded theEighth United States Army.[17]
In early 1951, Van Fleet proposed an amphibious landing at Wonsan, behind communist lines. The political fallout of MacArthur's removal, however, persuaded Ridgway to veto the plan.[18]
Van Fleet played a significant role in reorganizing theRepublic of Korea Army and reestablishing theKorea Military Academy (KMA), which is now considered the top military academy in the country.[17] Taking inspiration from his previous experiences, Van Fleet said he wished to do for theRepublic of Korea (ROK) army "the same as we did for the Greek divisions".[19]
In October 1951, theROK Army Chief of Staff proposed an academy with a four-year course modeled after West Point. They created a temporary site for this school atJinhae-gu, and appointed three West Point graduates to oversee the program.[19] They held an opening ceremony on 20 January 1952.[note 1] The KMA was very popular among South Koreans, with ROK Army Chief of Staff Lee Jong-chan writing:[19]
The Korean Military Academy is the hope of our people … We are also assured of our contribution to the new institution by firmly establishing an honourable and respectable tradition like that of your Military Academy in America
— Lieutenant General Lee Chongchan, Chief of Staff, ROK Army, to General J. Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff, US Army, 5 February 1952, RG 319, Army Intelligence Project Decimal Files, 1951–52, Box 164, NA.
The Korean Defense Ministry called Van Fleet the "father of the Korean Army" in 2015 for his contributions to the KMA and elsewhere.[20] A statue of Van Fleet was erected on the KMA campus on 31 March 1960 to honor his contributions towards the academy.[21]
In April 1952, Van Fleet's son died while piloting aB-26 bomber overHaeju.[22][21]
Van Fleet commanded the 8th Army until 11 February 1953, when he was relieved by GeneralMaxwell Taylor. Before he left Korea, during a 19 January 1953 speech on the steps of the Korean Capitol Building, Van Fleet said, "I shall come back. You have made me a part of you. I know you are a part of me. I shall not ask you to give me back my heart. I leave it with you."[17]
He retired from the Army at the end of March at the age of 61.[23]
He appeared on 26 July 1953, episode ofWhat's My Line?[24]
Van Fleet made significant efforts to fundraise and advocate for Korea-US ties after the war. He was chairman of the American-Korean Foundation (AFK) in the 1950s.[25] And in 1957, Van Fleet was one of five signers of the Certificate of Incorporation ofThe Korea Society, the first nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to the promotion of friendly relations between the peoples of the United States and Korea.[25]
In May 1962, he was invited by ROK PresidentPark Chung Hee to visit Korea again. He returned to the US on 1 June 1962, and gave a speech called "The Miracle on the Han", in which he said:[17]
I have been to Korea many times, each time agreeably surprised by the hard-working, skilled and intelligent labor force. This time I found it well-organized and dedicated. The military government has brought about security, stability, progress, and a moral rebirth. This is what I call “The Miracle on the Han.”[...] I shall not soon forget the beauty of their mountains and their valleys, the smiles and voices of their children, the hospitality and warmth of their homes. It is my other home, and I shall go back.
— The Miracle on the Han, Luncheon Meeting, Los Angeles World Affairs Council, 1 June 1962, VFPF, Van Fleet Foundation, Hobe Sound, FL, pp. 10-11.
Van Fleet died in his sleep on his ranch outsidePolk City, Florida, on 23 September 1992, six months after his 100th birthday that March.[26] He was the oldest living general officer in the United States at the time of his death.[27] Van Fleet and his wife Helen are buried inArlington National Cemetery.[28] Buried with them is Van Fleet's second wife, Virginia, who died in 1986.[29]
At the time of his retirement from active duty on 31 March 1953, formerPresidentHarry S. Truman said, "You want to know about a great general? There's Van Fleet. I sent him to Greece and he won that war. I sent him to Korea and he won that war. He's the greatest general we ever had."[26][17] Van Fleet then allegedly replied "Well actually Mr. President you never quite let me finish that last one".[17]
Van Fleet was the recipient of threeDistinguished Service Crosses,[30] fourDistinguished Service Medals, threeSilver Stars, threeBronze Star Medals, threePurple Hearts for wounds received in combat, and his most prized decoration—theCombat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) of the common foot soldier.[26]
Shortly after his death, The Korea Society established the annualJames A. Van Fleet Award to recognize people who have made significant contributions to US-Korea ties.
TheUniversity of Florida presented Van Fleet an honorarydoctorate in 1946, and the university's military sciences building, which houses the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy ROTC programs, is named Van Fleet Hall.[31] He was inducted into theUniversity of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honoraryletter winner" in 1971.[32][33] In 1998, a panel of Florida historians and other consultants named Van Fleet one of the fifty most important Floridians of the 20th century.[34] TheGeneral James A. Van Fleet State Trail, running from Polk City to Mabel, Florida, is also named in his honor.
Van Fleet's estate donated his papers to theGeorge C. Marshall Foundation.[35]
A statue honoring him was erected at the central square of theGreek city ofKastoria, which was the location of his advanced command post during the Greek Civil War.[36] There is also a statue honoring him at the grounds ofKorean Military Academy, in recognition of his support for theSouth Korean Army during the Korean War.[37]
In June 2015, the ROK issued a stamp to honor in Van Fleet's honor.[17] In Fall 2015, the ROK Ministry of Defense awarded him the Paik Sun Yup ROK-US Alliance Award.[17]
Van Fleet and his wife, Helen Moore Van Fleet, had three children, eight grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.[38] His only son, James Alward Van Fleet Jr., died during the Korean War.[22][21]
Van Fleet was also an art collector and donated many rare and exceptional Asian objects to theSamuel P. Harn Museum of Art.[39][40]
Van Fleet's military awards include:
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| 1st Row | Combat Infantryman Badge | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Row | Distinguished Service Cross w/ two Oak leaf clusters | Distinguished Service Medal w/ three Oak leaf clusters | Silver Star w/ two Oak leaf clusters | |
| 3rd Row | Legion of Merit w/ one Oak leaf cluster | Bronze Star Medal w/ two Oak leaf clusters | Purple Heart w/ two Oak leaf clusters | Air Medal w/ one Oak leaf cluster |
| 4th Row | Army Commendation Medal | Mexican Border Service Medal | World War I Victory Medal w/ 3 bronzeservice stars | Army of Occupation of Germany Medal |
| 5th Row | American Defense Service Medal | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/Arrowhead and five Service stars | World War II Victory Medal |
| 6th Row | Army of Occupation Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Korean Service Medal w/ seven Service stars | United Nations Korea Medal |
| 7th Row | Army Presidential Unit Citation | Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | ||
Van Fleet also received the following foreign decorations:[41]
Grand Cross of theOrder of the Phoenix (Greece)
Grand Commander of theOrder of George I (Greece)
_Gwanghwa_Medal_ribbon.gif)
._Medal.gif)
Order of the Lion and the Sun, grade 1 (Iran)[42]
Distinguished Service Order (United Kingdom)
Legion of Honor (France)
Croix de Guerre with palm (France)_-_ribbon_bar.png)
Croix de Guerre with palm (Belgium)
Grand Cross of theOrder of Orange Nassau with swords (Netherlands)_-_ribbon_bar.png)
Order of Boyaca (Colombia)Also decorations from the following countries:[41]
| No insignia | Cadet,United States Military Academy: 14 June 1911 |
| No insignia in 1915 | Second Lieutenant,United States Army: 12 June 1915 |
 | First Lieutenant, United States Army: 1 July 1916 |
 | Captain, United States Army: 15 May 1917 |
 | Major,National Army: 17 June 1918 |
| Major, Regular Army: 2 July 1920 |
| Captain, Regular Army: 4 November 1922 |
| Major, Regular Army: 6 December 1924 |
 | Lieutenant Colonel, Regular Army: 1 October 1936 |
 | Colonel, Army of the United States: 26 June 1941 |
| Colonel, Regular Army: 1 February 1944 |
 | Brigadier General, Army of the United States: 1 August 1944 |
 | Major General, Army of the United States: 15 November 1944 |
| Brigadier General, Regular Army: 27 June 1946 |
| Major General, Regular Army: 24 January 1948 |
 | Lieutenant General, Army of the United States: 19 February 1948 |
 | General, Army of the United States: 31 July 1951 |
| General, Retired List: 31 March 1953 |
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Gators(Southern Conference)(1923–1924) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Florida | 6–1–2 | 1–0–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1924 | Florida | 6–2–2 | 2–0–1 | 3rd | |||||
| Florida: | 12–3–4 | 3–0–3[43] | |||||||
| Total: | 12–3–4[9] | ||||||||
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| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commanding General 4th Infantry Division September–October 1944 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General 90th Infantry Division 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General XXIII Corps February–March 1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General III Corps 1945–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General Second United States Army 1950–1951 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commanding General Eighth United States Army 1951–1953 | Succeeded by |
