Daniel Van Voorhis Daniel Van Voorhis ( October 24 , 1878 - January 9 , 1956 ) was a United States Army Lieutenant General and was noteworthy for his assignments as commander of V Corps and the Caribbean Defense Command , as well as his efforts in creating the Army ' s modern Armor branch . Early life . The son of Congressman Henry Clay Van Voorhis , he was born on October 24 , 1878 in Zanesville , Muskingum County , Ohio . He attended Ohio Wesleyan University and Pennsylvania ' s Washington and Jefferson College , where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity . Start of military career . Van Voorhis left college to enlist for the Spanish - American War as a Corporal in the 10th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment . He attained the rank of Captain before the end of the war , and earned the Silver Star for heroism at Jaro in the Philippines . After the Spanish - American War Van Voorhis accepted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Regular Army and served primarily in the Philippines between 1900 and 1914 . In 1909 he was appointed as aide - de - camp to President William Howard Taft . In 1914 he served on the Texas border during the Pancho Villa Expedition . World War I . At the beginning of World War I he was Chief of Staff at the Newport News , Virginia port of embarkation , and was one of only twelve Army officers to earn the Navy Cross . In 1918 he went to France as a member of the American Expeditionary Force staff and , after the war was assigned to the port of Brest , where he was responsible for coordinating the A . E . F ' s return to the United States , for which he received the Distinguished Service Medal . Post World War I . Following World War I Van Voorhis served in Texas as commander of the 16th Cavalry Regiment , Assistant Chief of Staff of 2nd Cavalry Division , and Assistant Chief of Staff of VIII Corps . In 1924 he was assigned as Executive Officer to the Chief of Cavalry , and in 1929 he graduated from the Army War College . In 1930 Van Voorhis was appointed to command the Army ' s new experimental mechanized force , first called the 1st Cavalry Regiment ( Mechanized ) , and later the 7th Cavalry Brigade ( Mechanized ) , receiving promotion to Brigadier General . The organization he created and the tactics he developed were vital to the Army ' s transformation into the modern , mobile armor and mechanized infantry force that was successful in World War II , and with Adna R . Chaffee , Jr . he is recognized as a founder of the Army ' s Armor branch . General Van Voorhis served as Chief of Staff for the Hawaiian Division from 1934 to 1936 . In 1938 General Van Voorhis was named commander of V Corps as a Major General , and in 1939 he was named to head the Caribbean Defense Command in Panama , receiving promotion to Lieutenant General in 1940 . In 1941 Van Voorhis was reassigned as commander of V Corps , where he remained until reaching mandatory retirement age in 1942 . He received the Legion of Merit at his retirement . Retirement and death . In retirement he resided in Zanesville , Ohio and Clearwater , Florida . General Van Voorhis died at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington , D . C . on January 9 , 1956 , and was buried in Zanesville ' s Greenwood Cemetery . His papers , the Daniel Van Voorhis Collection , are part of the Patton Museum at Fort Knox , Kentucky , and an elementary school as well as the largest residential housing area at Fort Knox is named for him . Awards and decorations . Citation of Navy Cross : The Navy Cross is awarded to Daniel Van Voorhis , Colonel , United States Army , for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Chief of Staff to the Commanding General , Port of Embarkation , Newport News , Va . Name : Van Voorhis , Daniel Rank : Colonel , U . S . Army Place of Service : Port of Embarkation , Newport News , Virginia Date : World War I Era Citation of Distinguished Service Medal : The President of the United States of America , authorized by Act of Congress , July 9 , 1918 , takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel ( Cavalry ) Daniel Van Voorhis , United States Army , for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States , in a duty of great responsibility during World War I . As Chief of Staff at the Port of Embarkation , Newport News , Virginia , Colonel Van Voorhis ' services in governing and controlling the Troop Movement Branch at the Port of Embarkation materially aided in the efficient transport of troops and supplies overseas . Name : Van Voorhis , Daniel Service : Army Rank : Colonel War Department , General Orders No . 69 ( 1919 ) External resources . Find A Grave page , Daniel Van Voorhis , accessed January 22 , 2011