VAN FLEET, JAMES ALWARD

born March 19, 1892, Coytesville, N.J., U.S. died Sept. 23, 1992, Polk City, Fla. U.S. commander who led troops during crucial World War II battles, notably on D-Day at Utah Beach in Normandy and at the Battle of the Bulge. Van Fleet graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. (1915), and was commissioned in the infantry. As a captain in World War I, he was in charge of an infantry division and occupation forces. He spent several years as a reserve training instructor at Kansas State College, South Dakota State College, and the University of Florida before rising to colonel and taking command of the 8th Army (1941). After his distinguished World War II services, Van Fleet worked as deputy chief of staff of the army's European Command in Frankfurt, W.Ger. In 1948 President Harry S. Truman appointed him to direct the military adviser missions to Greece and Turkey, where he played a vital role in the defeat of communist guerrillas. As field commander of the 8th Army in Korea, Van Fleet repulsed two major offensives by the communists in 1951 but was forced to retreat from his June counteroffensive when the communists called for peace talks, which lasted two years before an armistice was finally negotiated. He was promoted to general (1951) and retired as a four-star general (1953). He was the recipient of the Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and, his most prized commendation, the Combat Infantryman's Badge.