James Alward Van Fleet served in the United States Army for over 38

years fighting in three wars and providing leadership at all levels of command

from platoon and company through corps and army. He was commissioned in

1915 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at WestPoint,

New York.1 Lieutenant Van Fleet served with General John J. Pershing’s punitive

expedition against the Mexican rebels led by Francisco “Pancho” Villa.2 During

World War I, Van Fleet commanded the 17th Machinegun Battalion of the US 6th

Infantry Division.3 Following WWI, then Major Van Fleet became an instructor in

the newly established Reserve Officer Training Corp. He returned to his adoptive

state of Florida where served as a professor of Military Science as well as head

football coach at the University of Florida.4

During World War II, Colonel Van Fleet commanded the 8th Infantry

Regiment of the US 4th Infantry Division.5 He distinguished himself during the D-

Day amphibious landings, Operation Neptune, on Utah beach resulting in his

promotion to Brigadier General and being named Deputy Commander of the 2nd

Infantry Division.6 As the war progressed, he would receive a second star and go

on to command the US 4th and 90th Infantry Divisions as part of General George

S. Patton’s 3rd Army.7 As the Commander of the 90th Infantry Division, he

spearheaded the relief of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

1
Dennis Hevesi, “James A. Van Fleet, Leader in Korean War, Dies at 100.” The New York Times
(September 1992). http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/24/us/james-a-van-fleet-leader-in-korean-
war-dies-at-100.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm (accessed July 30, 2012).
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Before the end of the war, Van Fleet would be promoted to Lieutenant General

and given command of the US 3rd Corps for the final push across Germany.8

Following the end of WWII, LTG Van Fleet was placed in command of the

Joint US Military Advisory Group in Greece to fight the Communist insurgents

attempting to overthrow the Greek government.9 His primary mission in Greece

was the training and reorganization of the Greek Army. Van Fleet also provided

military advisors to the Greek Army to provide them with operational guidance

and mentorship during their struggle against the insurgents. With the defeat of

the Communist forces in Greece, he returned to the United States and took

command of the US 2nd Army until he was named commander of the US 8th Army

in Korea and promoted to the rank of General.10

On April 14, 1951, General Van Fleet replaced General Matthew

Ridgeway as the US 8th Army commander who had taken command of the United

Nations Command following the removal of General Douglas MacArthur by

President Harry Truman. As the commander of the US 8th Army, Van Fleet’s

superb leadership was instrumental in defeating two major offensives by the

combined forces of China and North Korea. In June of the same year, Van Fleet

lead the US 8th Army during a massive counter-offensive designed to drive the

communist forces out of Korea and bring the war to a successful conclusion.11

The initial gains made by the United Nations forces were enough to cause the

Chinese and North Korean governments to call for peace talks to which

President Truman and the UN Command agreed. The following two years of the
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Paik Sun Yup. From Pusan to Panmunjom. (New York: Brassey’s Inc., 1992) 162
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war were characterized by Company and Battalion level engagements and

massive artillery exchanges between UN forces and the communist forces. Each

side struggled to make gains and to strengthen their position at the negotiating

table.

In addition to his battlefield leadership, General Van Fleet instituted a

robust training program to improve the leadership of both the Us and South

Korean forces under his command. Drawing on his vast experience as an

educator, he established schools for Infantry and Artillery soldiers, a small unit

officer’s course, a staff officer’s school and most importantly a military academy

for the South Korean military dubbed the “West Point of Korea”.12 This emphasis

on training was instrumental to the success of the South Korean and UN forces

during the final two years of the conflict.

Never a man to mince words, General Van Fleet found himself in the

middle of a political controversy during the 1952 Presidential elections.

Republican candidate and eventual US President Dwight Eisenhower quoted a

statement made by General Van Fleet in which he made the assertion that the

Department of Defense failed to provide adequate support to his training program

for the South Korean Army.13 This assertion was adamantly denied by the

Truman administration. Van Fleet was also critical of the decision to halt his

counteroffensive in 1951 testifying before the Senate Armed Forces

subcommittee that the UN forces could have won the war if President Truman

had not agreed to negotiations with the Chinese and North Koreans.14

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Paik, 162
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 General Van Fleet was and is a hero to both Americans and South

Koreans alike. His impact on the UN forces upon his arrival in Korea was

immediate and resounding. He recovered an army that was lacking in morale and

training and formed them back into a lethal and disciplined fighting force that

arguably could have changed the outcome of the war if allowed to continue the

type of aggressive tactics that Van Fleet wanted to pursue.

Paik Sun Yup. From Pusan to Panmunjom. New York: Brassey’s Inc., 1992.

Hevesi, Denis. “James A. Van Fleet, Leader In Korean War, Dies at 100.” The

New York Times (September 1992).

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/24/us/james-a-van-fleet-leader-in-korean-war-

dies-at-100.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm (accessed July 30, 2012).