Maxwell R . Thurman Maxwell Reid Thurman ( February 18 , 1931 – December 1 , 1995 ) was a U . S . Army general , Vice Chief of Staff of the U . S . Army , and former commander of United States Army Training and Doctrine Command . Biography . Thurman attended North Carolina State University , graduating with a bachelor ' s degree in chemical engineering ( ceramics ) . While in college he was a member of the Professional Engineering Fraternity Theta Tau . He was commissioned a second lieutenant of Ordnance from NCSU ' s ROTC program in 1953 but branch transferred to Field Artillery . His first assignment was with the 11th Airborne Division , and in 1958 his Honest John Rocket platoon was deployed to Lebanon . From 1961 - 63 he served in Vietnam as an Intelligence Officer for I Vietnamese Corps . Following his service in Vietnam , Thurman became one of the few non - Academy graduates ever assigned as a company tactical officer at the United States Military Academy . In 1966 he attended the Command and General Staff College , then returned to Vietnam in 1967 , where he assumed command of the 2d Howitzer Battalion , 35th Artillery Regiment in 1968 . After completing the U . S . Army War College in 1970 , Thurman held numerous troop and staff assignments before assuming command of U . S . Army Recruiting Command in 1979 , where he initiated the highly successful " BE ALL YOU CAN BE " recruiting campaign . From 1981 - 83 he was Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army , Personnel ( DCSPER ) and from 1983 - 87 he was the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army ( VCSA ) . In 1989 Thurman applied for retirement while serving as Command General , United States Army Training and Doctrine Command ( TRADOC ) . Instead , he was handpicked by President George H . Bush to be Commander - in - Chief , United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM ) . In this position , he planned and executed Operation Just Cause , the 1989 invasion of Panama . He was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia while still commander in chief of USSOUTHCOM , shortly after Operation Just Cause . He retired in 1991 after more than thirty - seven years of service , and died in 1995 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington , aged 64 . A funeral service was held on December 7 , 1995 at the Fort Myer , Virginia , chapel , followed by interment at Arlington National Cemetery ( Section 30 , Grave 416 - A - LH ) . Thurman ' s awards and decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal , the Distinguished Service Medal , the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star with " V " device . In August 2010 Thurman was posthumously inducted into the Theta Tau Alumni Hall of Fame for outstanding contribution to his profession . An award is given every year by the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command ( MRMC ) in honor of General Thurman . The award is generally presented at the annual meeting of the American Telemedicine Association . Thurman ' s image as a workaholic - captured by the nickname " Mad Max " - was as widespread as his reputation as a master organizer . His posting as chief of U . S . Army Recruiting Command in 1979 is considered instrumental in remaking the Army ' s tarnished , post - Vietnam image and attracting new generations of highly motivated recruits . Thurman , a lifelong bachelor , was survived by his brother , the late Army Lieutenant General John R . Thurman III . Awards . Badges Decorations and Medals