"USMA Class of 1948, Captain van Fleet was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 13th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Group. On April 4, 1952, while on a night intruder mission, his aircraft crashed near Haeju, North Korea. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on March 31, 1954. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial....Source: American Battle Monuments Commission, The Korean War Honor Roll, http://www.abmc.gov

"Crewmembers Associated With This Loss, McAllaster, Jr, John A 1st Lt USAF MIA, Phelps,
Ralph L. SSgt USAF MIA (note: He was on loan from 90th Bomb Squadron), and Van Fleet, Jr. James A, Capt USAF MIA - Aircraft Tail Number 44-34300, "Night intruder msn, last contact at 03301, crash near Haeju, NK." Source: Korwald Loss Incident Summary, http://www.dtic.mil

Note: The Korean War POW/MIA Network (http://www.koreanwarpowmia.net) reflects that James Van Fleet was promoted to Captain posthumously, though the Korwald Loss Incident Summary shows him as a Captain of a crew of three.

Captain James Alward Van Fleet, Jr. was born in Auburndale, Florida and the son of Four Star General James Alward Van Fleet, Sr and Helen Hazel Moore. General Van Fleet was Commander of the 8th Army and Field Commander of UN Forces in Korea.

Note: The Korean War Honor Roll (http://www.abmc.gov) indicates that Capt. Van Fleet received the following medals/awards not reflected on the right panel: "The Combat Infantryman's Badge, Iran OC with Five Clasps, and Meritorious Service Medal with Nine Clasps..." It appears Capt. Van Fleet served for a time in the U.S. Army and further research is required to determine the years and units of his Army service.

The Comprehensive Report of the U.S. of the U.S. -Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAS, June 17, 1996, is confusing regarding the fate of Capt. Van Fleet. The intelligence from Russian informants ranged from the entire crew perishing to a pilot who was the son of a four star general being captured and imprisoned. The conclusion was that "There is insufficient evidence at this point to come to any firm conclusion about the fate of (Blanked out), LT. Van Fleet or any other member of the crew." Source: http://www.dtic.mil

His remains were not recovered. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial, HI, at the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and on his parents' gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery, VA.

Van Fleet, James Alward, Jr., Capt