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 Maxwell Reid Thurman - Arlington VA Posted by:  Don.Morfe
N 38° 53.022 W 077° 04.128
18S E 320557 N 4305904
US Army General. He rose in rank to become the Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army, Commanding General of US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and Commander-in-Chief, US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
Waymark Code: WM12Q6K
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 06/30/2020
Views: 1
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Section 30, Site 416-A-LH
Description:
From Find A Grave: US Army General. He rose in rank to become the Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army, Commanding General of US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), and Commander-in-Chief, US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM). Nicknamed "Mad Max" or "Maxatollah" he attended North Carolina State University at Raleigh, North Carolina and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering. While attending college he joined the US Army Reserve Officers' Training Program and was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant of Ordinance at the same time he received his degree. He was first assigned to the 11th Airborne Division and in 1958 his "Honest John" Rocket platoon was deployed to Lebanon. From 1961 until 1963 he served in Vietnam as an Intelligence Officer for 1st Vietnamese Corps. After returning to the US he became one of the few non-Academy graduates ever assigned as a company tactical officer at the US Military Academy. In 1966 he attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, then returned to Vietnam where in 1968 he assumed command of the 2nd Howitzer Battalion, 35th Artillery Regiment. When he returned to the US, he attended the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania he held numerous troop and staff assignments before assuming command of US Army Recruiting Command in 1979, where he initiated the highly successful "BE ALL YOU CAN BE" recruiting campaign. In 1981 he was assigned to Headquarters US Army in Washington DC as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Personnel and in 1983 he became Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, serving until 1987 when he became the Commanding General of TRADOC. In 1989 he was selected by President George H. Bush to be Commander-in-Chief of USSOUTHCOM, planning and executing Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama, to oust and arrest Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. He was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia while still commander-in-chief of USSOUTHCOM, shortly after Operation Just Cause and he retired in this position in 1991 with nearly 38 years of continuous military service. Among his military decorations and awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Legion of Merit (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Bronze Star with combat "V" device (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Air Medal (with 3 oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (with 1 oak leaf cluster), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal (with star), the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal (with 5 campaign stars), Armed Forces Honor Medal (Republic of Vietnam), and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He also was awarded the Joint Chiefs of Staff Badge, the Master Parachutist Badge, and the Army General Staff Badge. He died of acute myelogenous leukemia at the age of 64. The phrase "Be All You Can Be" is an epitaph on his tombstone. An annual award is given every year by the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC) in honor of General Thurman, at the annual meeting of the American Telemedicine Association.
Date of birth: 02/18/1931
Date of death: 12/01/1995
Area of notoriety: Military
Marker Type: Monument
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: None
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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