American officers  |  home

US Army Officers
1939-1945


Dates: day-month-year, so 10.08.1909 is August 10, 1909. RA = Regular Army. AUS = Army of the United States (temporary rank).
Abbreviations and explanations can be found at the help page.
Abbreviations for the American States are: 

AL, Alabama  AK, Alaska  AR, Arkansas  AZ, Arizona  CA, California  CO, Colorado  CT, Connecticut  DE, Delaware  DC, District of Columbia  FL, Florida  GA, Georgia  HI, Hawaii  IA, Iowa  ID, Idaho  IL, Illinois  IN, Indiana  KS, Kansas  KY, Kentucky  LA, Louisiana  MA, Massachusetts  MD, Maryland  ME, Maine  MI, Michigan  MN, Minnesota  MO, Missouri  MS, Mississippi  MT, Montana  NC, North Carolina  ND, North Dakota  NE, Nebraska  NH, New Hampshire  NJ, New Jersey  NM, New Mexico  NY, New York  NV, Nevada  OH, Ohio  OK, Oklahoma  OR, Oregon  PA, Pennsylvania  RI, Rhode Island  SC, South Carolina  SD, South Dakota  TN, Tennesee  TX, Texas  UT, Utah  VA, Virginia  VT, Vermont  WA, Washington  WI, Wisconsin  WV, West Virginia  WY, Wyoming

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

V      
Vandervoort,
Benjamin Hays
"Ben" / "Vandy"

B.H. Vandervoort B.H. Vandervoort
B.H. Vandervoort
B.H. Vandervoort
B.H. Vandervoort B.H. Vandervoort
B.H. Vandervoort B.H. Vandervoort
Son of Benjamin F. and Marian A. (Hays) Vandervoort.
Married (24.12.1940) Nedra Marlin; one son, one daughter.

03.03.1915
Gasport, NY
-
18.11.1990
Hilton Head Island, SC
Pte.
23.07.1937-06.04.1938
T/2nd Lt.
16.03.1938 [0-22715]
2nd Lt.
18.11.1939
T/1st Lt.
10.10.1941
1st Lt.
18.11.1942
T/Capt.
03.08.1942
T/Maj.
28.04.1943
T/Lt.Col.
01.06.1944
T/Col.
07.07.1946 (retd 31.08.1946)
Distinguished Service Cross DSC
?
2 x
Purple Heart (US) PH
?
3 x
Bronze Star Medal (US) BSM
?
2 x
Croix de Guerre avec palmes (France) CdeG
?
?
Bronzen Leeuw (Bronze Lion) (The Netherlands) BL
?
Nijmegen [awarded by Dutch Royal Decree No. 31 of 08.10.45]
? Four
?
Fourragère (Belgium)
Education: Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland (1938, AB) [was a member of the Washington Players drama club, the Y.M.C.A., the Mount Vernon Literary Society, and the football and track teams. He also was an officer in his fraternity, Theta Kappa Nu.]; Student, Ohio State University (1946); Armed Forces Staff College (1953).
23.07.1937


enlisted
05.07.1938
-
30.06.1939
on active duty
16.03.1938


commissioned



Company Commander, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
1943


Operations Officer, 504th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (Sicily, Salerno)
(1944)
-
(1945)
Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Normandy [broke his leg], Nijmegen; seriously wounded 1945)
Joined Foreign Service, 1947. Executive Officer, Department of the Army, 1950-1954 (Joint politicial adviser to Commanding General UN Forces and UN Ambassador, Korea, 1951-1952).Attaché, US Embassy, Lisbon, Portugal, 1955-1958. Assigned to Department of State, 1958-1960. Executive Central Intelligence Agencey (CIA), 1960-1966. Conusltant politico-military affairs, US Army Staff, 1960. Plans and program officer Army Staff, Department of Defence, 1964.
Literature: Michel de Trez, Colonel Ben Vandervoort, "Vandy," 0-22715 : commanding officer, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division (2004)
Van Fleet,
James Alward






Son of William Van Fleet (1833-1919) and Medora Roxanne Schofield (1848-1918). Married 1st (25.12.1915) Helen Hazel Moore (1894-1984) of Long Beach, California;two daughters, one son. Married 2nd (11.1984) Virginia Skinner-Higgens Wells (1919-1986). Married 3rd (?) Muriel Van Fleet (died 22.03.1994).
19.03.1892
Coytesville, NJ
-
23.09.1992
Polk City, FL
[Arlington National Cemetery, VA]
2nd Lt.
12.06.1915 [O3847]
1st Lt.
?
Capt.
?
Maj.
06.12.1924
Lt.Col.
01.10.1936
Col. (T)
06?.1941
Brig.Gen. (T)
01.08.1944
Maj.Gen. (T)
15.11.1944
Lt.Gen. (T)
19.02.1948
Gen.
01.08.1951 (retd 31.03.1953; disability)
Distinguished Service Cross DSC
?
3 x
Distinguished Service Medal (US) DSM
?
4 x
Silver Star Medal SSM
?
3 x
Legion of Merit LM
?
2 x
Purple Heart (US) PH
?
3 x
Bronze Star Medal (US) BSM
?
3 x
* The Combat Infantryman's badge
* The Army Commendation Ribbon
* The Distinguished Unit Citation
* World War I Victory Medal with 2 battle stars
* World War II Victory Medal
* European Theater Medal with arrowhead and 5 battle stars
* Air Medal with oak leaf clusters
* UN Korean Service ribbon
Has received decorations from:
* Greece (Grand Cross Order of Phoenix & Distinguished
  Medal of Honor & Grand Commander, Order of George I)
* Korea (Taekuk DSM with gold star)
* Iran (Royal Order, grade 1)
* Ethiopia
* Thailand
* The Philippines
* The Republic of China
* Great Britain (DSO)
* France (Legion of Honor & Croix de Guerre with palm)
* Belgium (Croix de Guerre with palm)
* The Netherlands (Grand Cross, Order of Orange Nassau
   with swords)
* Columbia (Orden de Boyaca)



Education: US Military Academy, West Point (...-12.06.1915; grad. # 5404); advanced course, Infantry School, Fort Benning, GA (1928-06.1929); Hon. LL.D. (University of Florida, 1946; Seoul (Korea) National University, 1952; Columbia University, 1954; LIU, 1958; Chung-ang Univeristy, Korea, 1962)
12.06.1915


commissioned in the infantry (3rd Infantry Regiment at Madison Barracks at Sackett's Harbor on Lake Ontario)
04.1916
-
1917
ordered, as a member of "The Old Guard" to Eagle Pass, TX, to serve under General Pershing in operations against Pancho Villa



commanding a company in the 3rd Infantry Regiment (went to France in 07.1918)
1918
-
1919
Commanding Officer, 17th Machine Gun Battalion (action in the Gerardmer Sector and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive; wounded at Sedan 04.11.1918; occupation duty; returned to the US 06.1919)
1919
- 1920 with 6th Infantry Division (Camp Grant, IL)



assigned to the Reserve Officers Training Corps at Kansas State Agricultural College, Manhattan, KS
01.1921
-
09.1921
Professor of Military Science and Tactics at South Dakota State College
09.1921
-
02.1925
Professor of Military Science and Tactics, University of Florida
02.1925
-
1927
battalion commander, 42nd Infantry Regiment (Panama Canal Zone)
1927
-
1928
instructor, Infantry School (Fort Benning, GA)
1929
-
1933
Professor of Military Science and Tactics, University of Florida
1933
-
1935
Commanding Officer, 5th Infantry Regiment (Fort Williams, ME)
1935
-
1939
instructor, Organized Reserves headquartered in San Diego, CA
09.1939
-
1941
battalion commander in the 29th Infantry Regiment (Fort Benning, GA)
07.1941
-
07.1944
Commanding Officer, 8th Infantry Regiment (combat training, amphibious exercises and maneuvers at Fort Benning; Camp Gordon; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Camp Blanding, Florida; and many other stations in the US; UK; Normandy)
04.07.1944
-
04.09.1944
Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Infantry Division (Brest)
30.09.1944
- 05.10.1944 Commanding General, 4th Infantry Division (NW Europe)
15.10.1944
-
05.02.1945
Commanding General, 90th Infantry Division (NW Europe)
06.02.1945
-
16.03.1945
Commanding General, XXIII Corps (UK)
17.03.1945
-
02.1946
Commanding General, III Corps (Remagen Bridgehead, Germany; Camp Polk, LA)
02.1946
-
06.06.1946
Commanding General, Second Service Command (Governors Island, NY)
07.06.1946
-
12.1947
Deputy Commanding General, First Army (Governors Island, NY)
12.1947
-
02.1948
Deputy Chief of Staff, HQ European Command (Frankfurt, Germany)
19.02.1948
-
08.1950
director of the Joint U.S. Military Advisory and Planning Group in Greece (that aided the Greek army in its successful campaign against Communist guerillas)
10.08.1950
-
04.1951
Commanding General, 2nd Army (Fort George Meade, MD)
14.04.1951
-
02.1953
Commanding General, Eighth Army and UN troops in Korea
In May, June, and July 1954, General Van Fleet conducted a survey of the military, economic, and political situation in the Far East, traveling with the rank of Ambassador, as special representative of President Eisenhower. Consultant to the Secretary of the Army on guerilla warfare, 1961-1962. Executive and director of several business firms, such as President of Van Fleet Ranch & Citrus Growers.
Literature: Paul F. Braim, The will to win : the life of General James A. Van Fleet (2001); Medora Van Fleet, My uncle Jim : fullback general (year unknown)
Vinson Jr,
Wilbur Henry

W.H. Vinson Jr.
10.10.1924
Washington, GA
-
28.03.1979
DC
(illness)
2nd Lt.
05.06.1945 [O27159]
...
...
Maj.Gen.
?
Education: US Military Academy, West Point (1945; grad. # 14797)
05.06.1945


commissioned in the Field Artillery
04.1973
-
07.1975
Commanding General, South Eastern Task Force (Italy)
       

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z