James Thurman
Board Member
During 1989-91, Thurman served as Executive Officer for 1st Battalion, 32d Armor, 1st Cavalry Division in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Saudi Arabia. Thurman’s previous assignments also include Commander of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment; 3d Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Commander, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, GA; Commander, Operations Group, U.S. Army National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA; Assistant to the Chief of Staff for Plans and Policy, Allied Forces Southern Europe, Regional Command South, Italy; Commanding General, National Training Center and Fort Irwin, CA; Director of Training, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3, U.S. Army; and Chief, Operations, Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Camp Doha, Kuwait.
Thurman left Kuwait to become the Director, Army Aviation Task Force, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army in Washington DC, where he remained until his arrival at Fort Hood as the Commanding General of 4th Infantry. On 2 October 2006, Thurman was nominated for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General by President George W. Bush. He returned from the Iraq War with the 4th Infantry Division in November 2006 after a second tour. He received his third star on 19 January 2007.
General Thurman also commanded V Corps and served as Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7 at the Pentagon. Thurman served as the FORSCOM Commanding General. His last assignment was Commanding General U.S. Forces, Korea.
Since his retirement from the U.S. Army, General Thurman has operated J.D. Thurman Enterprises, a strategic consulting service. He also serves on the Board of Directors for First National Bank of Texas. General Thurman is a distinguished Eagle Scout and member of the U.S. Army Aviation Hall of Fame. In March of 2015, General Thurman was appointed by the late Senator John McCain Chairman, former chairman of the Senate Arms Services Committee to serve as one of the eight Commissioners on the National Commission on the Future of the United States Army. The Commission duties were completed on 1 April 2016.
