<p><em>John Huff “Jack” Van Vliet Jr.</em> died peacefully in his sleep after a rich life filled with joys, sorrows, duty, love and humor. <br />An Army brat with strong family connections to West Point, Jack had lived as a boy on Washington Road near the West Point Cemetery. His father, Class of 1913, was teaching French at the time and also providing young Jack with a taste of the future by having him march punishment tours with his toy rifle back and forth along the sidewalk. Later, having earned the distinction of being a “double century man” on the Area, Jack could attest to the value of early practice.<br />The Academy was a place for irrepressible Jack to form and to extend deep friendships and to hone a lasting sense of honor and duty while still engaging in fun at every opportunity. General Goodpaster described Jack as a “blithe spirit,” which seems apt when one thinks about a plebe dunking a corporal in the pool, unauthorized radios, trips through the steam tunnels, midnight runs up to Stony Lonesome and picking the Superintendent’s flowers in order to give them to the Commandant’s daughter.<br />Jack was commissioned into the Infantry and put his nose to the grindstone. His first posting was to the 12th Infantry at Fort Washington, MD, where, among other things, he converted the mules of the transport section to trucks, He also earned a private pilot’s license, which came in handy on a particularly busy day when he used it to fly some gear over to Fort Myer, VA.<br />The 27th Infantry in Hawaii was Jack’s second posting. While there he experimented with laying commo wire from a jeep (which involved unauthorized modifications), and he also became a temporary captain, a “new Army” invention that shocked his grizzled old first sergeant. <br />September 1941 found Jack in civilian clothes in the United Kingdom observing the British army and taking specialized British army courses. He briefly returned to Fort Benning, GA as an instructor at the Infantry School before traveling again to the UK to command 3/168th Infantry during the invasion of North Africa and the Battle of Kasserine Pass. While commanding 3/168 Infantry in combat in Tunisia, Jack earned the Silver Star.<br />Taken prisoner in February 1943, Jack was in a POW camp when German authorities ordered him to witness the uncovering of mass graves of Polish officers killed at Katyn by the Russians. His actions related to Katyn during that period (and later) caused the president of Poland to award him (posthumously) the Polish Officers Cross of Merit with Swords. Other actions of a classified nature while a POW caused him to be awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device.<br />Jack escaped from POW camps three times. As he would say, “That tells you something about the effectiveness of the first two.” After his last escape, he made it through German territory, entered American lines, and quickly made his way to Washington, where he reported details of the Katyn Massacre to Major General Bissell, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence. <br />Jack served in the Korean War as XO of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was recalled to Washington to testify about Katyn and returned not to Korea, but to Japan, where he was based for clandestine operations in Korea. He remained in Japan after the Korean War to help with the creation and training of the new Japanese army. Later, he commanded a training regiment at Fort Dix, NJ and the 188th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, KY. To the imagined delight of his great-grandfather, Brevet Major General Stewart Van Vliet, Class of 1840, Quartermaster General, Jack finished his career working in logistics. He retired as a colonel in 1959. <br />Upon retirement, Jack became the village manager of Ardsley, NY. A few winters later, the family moved to Clearwater, FL, where Jack worked for the United Way and later for the Pinellas County government. In 1980, Jack fully retired to enjoy “snooping the mudflats” in his sailboat, watching his family lead their lives, and counting his many blessings.<br />Jack’s last official action for the U.S. Army was to administer the commissioning oath on June 3, 1970 to a group of cadets from Company E-4, Class of 1970.<br />Age finally caught up with Jack, and he walked the typical path of finding full enjoyment in spite of steadily diminishing physical condition. His last days were spent near his son in the Atlanta area. One of the things he wanted in his final days was to be able to listen to “The Corps.”<br />Jack married Miriam Samelson on January 12, 1947. He is survived by their daughters, Jacqueline, Susan, and Sara, and by their son, John, Class of 1970. <br />“Dad, I wore grandfather’s ring, your ring, and my ring during Graduation Parade 1970. I feel the grip of your hands today. Well done, sir!” <br /><em>— Your son, John</em></p>