Talk:Maxwell R. Thurman

Corrected time between 81 and 87
General Thurman was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (DCSPER) between 1981 and 1983. He moved from that three-star position to the four-star position of Vice Chief of Staff (VCSA) where he served from 1983 to 1987.

I served in the DCSPER when he was there, and did projects for him when he was the Vice.

I didn't edit the time between 1970 and 1979, but his service in that time frame warrants some discussion. He served in TRADOC under General Bill DePuy and was responsible for implementation of a great many of the changes the Army made between 73 and 79. Further, he was the Director of Program Analysis and Evaluation before TRADOC where his finger prints were all over the changes that led to the changes in the force under President Reagan. The Apache, Blackhawk, Abrahms, and Bradley modernizations I believe were part of the fiscal stewardship he provided in this role.

As DCSPER he was responsible for aviation safety changes that moved the Army to a position of aviation safety that was superior to the Navy and the Air Force. Short, helicopter journeys became statistically safer than long jet travel. How? He was ruthless in hunting down miscreants in the violation of safety standards. Can I prove it? In 1983, yes. Now? I leave it to others to find the data ....

Mantuan (talk) 15:52, 16 January 2008 (UTC) Mantuan