Why Marshall Refused to Promote Eisenhower's West Point Classmate

Why Marshall Refused to Promote Eisenhower's West Point Classmate Marshall kept a private notebook that was more reliable than the Army's official fitness reports. In one documented case, he confused James Van Fleet with an alcoholic officer of similar name. Van Fleet was a teetotaler. Nobody corrected it — until Eisenhower asked why his West Point classmate was still a colonel. WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW: Van Fleet graduated West Point 1915 — same class as Eisenhower and Bradley His father wrote "Stick with it" during a difficult period at West Point — he kept that letter for life He was a standout fullback on the 1914 Army team that went undefeated He coached the Florida Gators to a 12-3-4 record in 1923-1924 His fitness reports were consistently positive for years J. Lawton Collins (West Point 1917, two years after Van Fleet) commanded the corps above his regiment Russell Leader (West Point 1926, nine years after Van Fleet) commanded a regiment in his own division He landed at Utah Beach on D-Day as a colonel — while Eisenhower had five stars Marshall and Van Fleet had been neighbors at a posting — Marshall still didn't know the truth Eisenhower asked the question in 1944. Marshall said alcoholic. Eisenhower said he doesn't drink. In the next eight months: colonel → corps commander under Patton After the war: Greece (Truman Doctrine, $400M aid, Greek Civil War outcome), Korea (Eighth Army commander), four-star general Kastoria, Greece, still has a Van Fleet statue — replaced with a new one in 2007 THE VERDICT: The fitness report can be appealed. The notebook cannot. The most trusted evaluation system in the U.S. Army had one wrong entry. Nobody corrected it until Eisenhower asked the right question. All facts verified. No fabricated quotes. WW2 Legacy+ | Case File 010 #WWII #JamesVanFleet #Marshall #Eisenhower #WestPoint #MilitaryHistory #WorldWarII ⚠️ Disclaimer: Historical storytelling based on official records, declassified documents, and veteran testimony. Some dialogue is reconstructed for narrative clarity.