Colonel Fredrick E. Van Horn

USASMA Commandant

9 July 1990 – 30 June 1995

Colonel Fredrick E. Van Horn served as the Commandant of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy from 9 July 1990 to 30 June 1995. As the ninth Commandant, Colonel Van Horn established the Academy Chair of Ethics. The ethics paper each Sergeants Major Course student writes is part of his legacy. During his tenure as Commandant, Colonel Van Horn was also responsible for increasing the length of the Sergeants Major Course from six months to nine months. He was also instrumental in expanding the Academy by coordinating and planning the construction of the East Wing, known as the Battle Staff/First Sergeant Course Wing

Colonel Van Horn enlisted in the Army in 1962. He served with the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Toelz, Germany, where he was promoted to Sergeant.

After graduating from the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In 1966, while assigned with the 101st, he forward deployed to Vietnam where he served as a Forward Observer in Delta Battery, 26th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery.

He served two years in Vietnam. His other assignments included Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Washington, D.C.; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Bliss, Texas; Germany; and the Southern European Task Force, Italy.

Colonel Van Horn’s military education includes the Infantry Basic and Advanced Individual Training courses, Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces National Security Management Program, and the Army War College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Military Arts and Sciences.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart, Valorous Unit Citation, Humanitarian Services Medal, and the Army Superior Unit Award.