"Mad Max" was our top commander in Panama until 1991. Greg and I took this picture at Arlington National Cemetery in either May or September of 2006. We came across his grave by accident.
I remember someone quoting General Thurman once as having said, “I have absolutely no use for civilians.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but the Army was his life. He had a brother who died after him on May 29, 2004, Lieutenant General John R. Thurman III died at Walter Reed Medical Center.
I copied the information below from Arlington National Cemetery Website.
I remember someone quoting General Thurman once as having said, “I have absolutely no use for civilians.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but the Army was his life. He had a brother who died after him on May 29, 2004, Lieutenant General John R. Thurman III died at Walter Reed Medical Center.
I copied the information below from Arlington National Cemetery Website.
***
One of the men most responsible for the Army's positive image and success through the 1980s succumbed to lengthy bout with cancer. Retired General Maxwell Reid Thurman died December 1, 1995 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He was 64. A funeral service will be held on December 7, 1995 at the Fort Myer, Virginia, chapel, followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thurman's image as a workaholic - captured by the nickname "Mad Max" - was as widespread as his reputation as a master organizer. His credits include reversing the downward slide of Army recruiting and commanding the 1989 invasion of Panama. Thurman was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia while still commander in chief of US Southern Command shortly after Operation Just Cause, which ousted strongman Manuel Noriega. He conducted SOUTHCOM business from his hospital bed at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after he was admitted for treatment in July 1990.
He retired from active duty in February 1991. But in between returns to the hospital for treatment, he kept a rigorous schedule of travel to conferences and speaking engagements, taking every opportunity to talk with or about soldiers and the Army. That retirement was his second. He had one foot out the door in September 1989, when he was set to retire as commanding general of US Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Instead, he was called to the Pentagon and given charge over the US multi-service command in Panama. His elaborate invasion plan involved conventional and special operations forces from units in the United States as well as Panama which overwhelmed Noreiga's forces.
Before serving as vice chief of staff and top personnel officer, Thurman was commanding general of US Army Recruiting Command. When he took command in 1979, enlisting was generally viewed as an option for slackers. Behind the slogan, "Be all you can be," Thurman was able to blot out that perception and begin a trend of attracting high-quality recruits. A graduate of North Carolina State University and commissioned in Field Artillery, Thurman served two tours in Vietnam, including a battalion command. His decorations and awards over his 37-year career include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star for valor.
One of the men most responsible for the Army's positive image and success through the 1980s succumbed to lengthy bout with cancer. Retired General Maxwell Reid Thurman died December 1, 1995 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He was 64. A funeral service will be held on December 7, 1995 at the Fort Myer, Virginia, chapel, followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thurman's image as a workaholic - captured by the nickname "Mad Max" - was as widespread as his reputation as a master organizer. His credits include reversing the downward slide of Army recruiting and commanding the 1989 invasion of Panama. Thurman was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia while still commander in chief of US Southern Command shortly after Operation Just Cause, which ousted strongman Manuel Noriega. He conducted SOUTHCOM business from his hospital bed at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after he was admitted for treatment in July 1990.
He retired from active duty in February 1991. But in between returns to the hospital for treatment, he kept a rigorous schedule of travel to conferences and speaking engagements, taking every opportunity to talk with or about soldiers and the Army. That retirement was his second. He had one foot out the door in September 1989, when he was set to retire as commanding general of US Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Instead, he was called to the Pentagon and given charge over the US multi-service command in Panama. His elaborate invasion plan involved conventional and special operations forces from units in the United States as well as Panama which overwhelmed Noreiga's forces.
Before serving as vice chief of staff and top personnel officer, Thurman was commanding general of US Army Recruiting Command. When he took command in 1979, enlisting was generally viewed as an option for slackers. Behind the slogan, "Be all you can be," Thurman was able to blot out that perception and begin a trend of attracting high-quality recruits. A graduate of North Carolina State University and commissioned in Field Artillery, Thurman served two tours in Vietnam, including a battalion command. His decorations and awards over his 37-year career include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star for valor.
He is buried at Section 30, Grave 416-A-LH, Arlington National Cemetery.
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