J . H . Binford Peay III James Henry Binford " Binnie " Peay III ( born May 10 , 1940 , in Richmond , Virginia ) is a retired four - star general from the United States Army and is currently the 14th Superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute . He is also chairman of the Allied Defense Group and a director of BAE Systems Inc . He is a trustee of the George C . Marshall Foundation , the National Defense University , and the VMI Foundation . Early life . Peay attained the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America in 1954 and as an adult is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the BSA . His father , Peay Jr . and both of his sons , Jim and Ryan , are also Eagle Scouts . He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering . He also has a Master of Arts from George Washington University and is a graduate of the U . S . Army War College . Military service . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1962 . Peay ’ s initial troop assignments were in Germany and Fort Carson , Colorado . From December 1964 to September 1966 , he served as aide - de - camp to the Commanding General , 5th Infantry Division . He went on to serve in other assignments including two tours in the Republic of Vietnam . In his first tour from May 1967 to July 1968 , he commanded both Headquarters Company , I Field Force , Vietnam , and a firing battery ( Battery B , 4th Battalion , 42d Artillery ) with the 4th Infantry Division in the central highlands . During his second tour from August 1971 to June 1972 , he served as the assistant operations officer for the 3d Brigade , 1st Cavalry Division , and as operations officer for the same division ’ s 1st Battalion , 21st Artillery . After serving with the Army Military Personnel Center in Washington , D . C . , as a Field Artillery branch assignments officer , Peay was sent to Hawaii in 1975 to command the 2d Battalion , 11th Field Artillery , 25th Infantry Division . Following completion of the Army War College , he returned to Washington , D . C . , as Senior Aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and later as Chief of the Army Initiatives Group in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operation and Plans . He then moved to Fort Lewis , Washington , to serve as the I Corps ’ Assistant Chief of Staff , G - 3 / Director of Plans and Training , and later became Commander , 9th Infantry Division Artillery . In 1985 , he returned to Washington , D . C . , as Executive to the Chief of Staff , United States Army . He first became a " Screaming Eagle " in July 1987 , when he became the Assistant Division Commander ( Operations ) , 101st Airborne Division ( Air Assault ) at Fort Campbell , Kentucky . Beginning in July 1988 , he served a one year assignment as Deputy Commandant , Command and General Staff College , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas . On August 3 , 1989 , Peay returned to Fort Campbell to assume command of the 101st Airborne Division and led the division through Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf . Promoted to the rank of lieutenant general , he was the Army ’ s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans , and Senior Army Member , United States Military Committee from June 1991 until March 1993 . He was promoted to general on March 26 , 1993 and appointed as the Army ’ s twenty - fourth Vice Chief of Staff . His last active duty position was as Commander in Chief , United States Central Command , at MacDill Air Force Base , Florida , from August 5 , 1994 until August 13 , 1997 . Peay ' s awards and decorations include the Army Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters , the Silver Star , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster , the Bronze Star with three oak leaf clusters , and the Purple Heart . He has also received the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters , several Air Medal s , and the Army Commendation Medal . Additionally , he wore the Parachutist Badge , Ranger Tab , the Air Assault Badge , the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge , Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge , and the Army General Staff Identification Badge . Professional career . After retirement from the Army , he become a director at United Defense Industries ( UDI ) in 1997 . In 2005 BAE Systems purchased UDI and appointed Peay to the board of its North American subsidiary , BAE Systems Inc . He joined Allied Research Corporation in March 2000 as member of its board of directors . Allied is a diversified defense and security firm , providing conventional medium caliber ammunition and sophisticated security systems . In January 2001 , he was made chairman , president and CEO . In 2003 , the company was renamed Allied Defense Group . Peay resigned in June 2003 to assume the position of superintendent of Virginia Military Institute , but remained the non - executive chairman at Allied .