Van Fleet was a native of New Jersey, who was raised in Florida and graduated from the United States Military Academy.

After graduating from Summerlin in 1911, Van Fleet received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

The 3rd Infantry was then transferred to Eagle Pass, Texas, for service on the Mexican border until 8 October 1917, over six months after the American entry into World War I.

[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.

[5] Van Fleet was then shipped to France, where he commanded the 17th Machine Gun Battalion, part of the 6th Division, from 12 September 1918 to 11 June 1919.

[7] After the war, Van Fleet was reduced to his permanent rank of captain in 1922 and promoted to major in the Regular Army in December 1924.

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.

[14] Van Fleet commanded III Corps through the end of the war and the occupation of Germany until returning to the United States in February 1946.

[15] In February 1948, Van Fleet was promoted to lieutenant general and sent to Greece as the head of the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group and executor of the "Truman Doctrine".

[16] The central square in the northern Greek city of Kastoria has featured a bust of Van Fleet for many years, and was replaced with a new statue as recently as 2007.

On 14 April 1951, Van Fleet arrived in Korea, replacing General Matthew B. Ridgway as commander of the U.S. Eighth Army and United Nations forces.

[17] Taking inspiration from his previous experiences, Van Fleet said he wished to do for the Republic of Korea (ROK) army "the same as we did for the Greek divisions".

In October 1951, the ROK Army Chief of Staff proposed an academy with a four-year course modeled after West Point.

They created a temporary site for this school at Jinhae-gu, and appointed three West Point graduates to oversee the program.

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.

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.Van Fleet died in his sleep on his ranch outside Polk City, Florida, on 23 September 1992, six months after his 100th birthday that March.

[17] Van Fleet was the recipient of three Distinguished Service Crosses,[30] four Distinguished Service Medals, three Silver Stars, three Bronze Star Medals, three Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat, and his most prized decoration—the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) of the common foot soldier.

[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.

Van Fleet State Trail, running from Polk City to Mabel, Florida, is also named in his honor.