Jimmy D . Ross General Jimmy Douglas Ross ( May 23 , 1936 – May 2 , 2012 ) was a United States Army 4 - star general and member of the board of two corporations . Education . Ross was born in Hosston , Louisiana . Upon completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia , Arkansas in 1958 , he was also commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps . He also holds a Masters ' degree in business administration from Central Michigan University . His military education includes the Basic Officer Course at the United States Army Infantry School , the Transportation Advanced Officer Course , the U . S . Army Command and General Staff College , and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces . Army service . His initial company grade assignments were with the Infantry and Transportation Corps units at Schofield Barracks , Hawaii ; Thailand ; Fort Eustis , Virginia ; Fort Campbell , Kentucky ; and Fort Bragg , North Carolina . In 1964 , General Ross served in Vietnam as an Infantry Battalion Advisor in the PBT Special Zone , III Corps . From 1967 to 1969 , he was assigned as a JTF - 11 Staff Officer , United States Strike Command , MacDill Air Force Base , Florida . In 1969 , General Ross returned to Vietnam . During his second combat tour , he served as the S4 and later the S2 / 3 in the 101st Airborne Division Support Command ; and then commanded the 10th Transportation Battalion at Cam Ranh Bay . Upon his return to the United States , he was assigned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at HQDA , in the Financial Resources and the Materiel Acquisition Directorates . He served as the Assistant Director of the Army Staff in the Office of the Chief of Staff , Army , from 1973 to 1974 . His next assignment was as the Deputy Comptroller of Oakland Army Base , California , and later as the Commander of the Military Ocean Terminal , Bay Area . In 1978 , General Ross transferred to Germany , where he commanded the 4th Transportation Brigade and 2nd Support Command , VII Corps . He returned to the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics , HQDA , as the Director for Transportation , Energy and Troop Support from 1982 to 1984 . He served as the Chief of Staff , U . S . Army Materiel Command , from 1984 to 1986 and the Commanding General of the U . S . Army Depot System Command , from 1986 to 1987 . In June 1987 , he was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics , U . S . Army , where he served for four and a half years . General Ross returned to AMC as commanding general from February 1 , 1992 to February 11 , 1994 . His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , the Legion of Merit ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) , the Bronze Star , the Meritorious Service Medal , two Air Medal s , the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the Army Commendation Medal ( with Oak Leaf Cluster ) . He has also been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge , the Master Parachutist Badge , the Ranger Tab , and the Army Staff Identification Badge . General Ross retired from the Army in 1994 . Post - army activities . Since 2001 , Ross has been a member of the board of directors of Stanley , Inc . , a consulting firm . He also served as an executive with the American Red Cross and as a consultant to Cypress International . He was a member of the board of directors of VSE Corporation . He died of cancer in 2012 .