Senator Joseph Maxwell (Max) Cleland Obituary (1942 - 2021)

"Joseph Maxwell Cleland, beloved son, loyal and devoted friend and servant to many veterans around the world passed away Tuesday, November 9th, 2021. He was welcomed home by his Mom and Dad and now is in the presence of the Lord." Max was born on August 24, 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of Juanita Kesler Cleland and Joseph Hughie Cleland members of the Lithonia community. Raised in Lithonia, Georgia, "As a young boy, he was a member of the 'Main Street Mudcats" baseball team. He was an excellent student and outstanding athlete." Max received the Atlanta Journal Cup as the most outstanding graduate in the class of 1960 at Lithonia High School. He later attended the Washington Semester Program at American University where he was inspired to enter public service. In 1964, he earned his B.A. degree from Stetson University and received a Second Lieutenant's Commission in the U.S. Army through its ROTC program. Max held a Master's Degree in American history from Emory University. Both Universities awarded him honorary doctorate degrees. As a former United States Senator and youngest-ever Administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration, Max Cleland has been a distinguished public servant for 50 plus years. In 1967, Max volunteered for service in the Vietnam War and was promoted to Army Captain. Seriously wounded in combat in 1968, he was awarded both the Bronze Star for meritorious service and the Silver Star for gallantry in action. In 1970, Max was elected to the Georgia Senate where he was the youngest member of that body and the only Vietnam veteran. He was re-elected to the State Senate in 1972. There he authored and helped to enact into law legislation which for the first time made public facilities in Georgia accessible to the elderly and handicapped. In 1976, he was appointed to the staff of the U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where he investigated hospitals in the Veterans Administration health care system and their treatment of wounded U.S. troops returning from Vietnam. Appointed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter to head the Veterans Administration, Max managed the largest health care system in the country. As the nation's youngest VA Administrator ever and the first Vietnam veteran to head the department, Max created the Vet Center counseling program. Today over 300 Vet Centers across America help veterans and their families deal with post-traumatic stress disorders and associated problems. The Institute for Public Service, in 1977, awarded Max the Thomas Jefferson Award, which is given to an American under the age of 35 who makes the greatest contribution to public service. The following year Max received the Neal Pike Prize from Boston University for his outstanding contributions to the rehabilitation of disabled veterans. In 1982, Max won election as Georgia's youngest Secretary of State and served in that office for 12 years. In 1996, he was elected to succeed Sam Nunn in the United States Senate. Max held the seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee which was previously occupied by Senator Sam Nunn and Senator Richard Russell. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Max was a forceful advocate for veterans and for a strong national defense. He successfully fought to improve some of the Department of Defense's most pressing personnel needs, including recruiting and retention, pay and compensation, reform of the military retirement system and health care. Because of Max's efforts, servicemen and women who choose not to use their GI bill educational benefits can now pass those benefits on to their children. In 2000, Max was selected by the Reserve Officers Association to receive the group's Minute Man of the Year Award, which is presented annually to "the citizen who has contributed most to National Security during these times." In 2002, Max was appointed to the 9-11 Commission to study the circumstances surrounding the September 1 1, 2001 terrorist attacks and to recommend safeguards against future attacks. While a member of the Commission, Max served as an adjunct professor in Political Science on the Washington Semester Program at American University. In late 2003, he was appointed to be a member of the Board of Directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, where he served for three and a half years. On June 3, 2009, President Obama appointed Max as Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, managing 24 cemeteries overseas where fallen American troops from World War I and World War Il are memorialized. Max is the author of three books: Strong at the Broken Places; Going for the Max: 12 Principles for Living Life to the Fullest; and Heart of a Patriot. Max is survived by his cousins, Emily Carden Foster, Mercer T. Cleland, Jr., William 'Bobby' Cleland, Sara Ellen Cleland Wilkinson, Linda Cleland Breedlove, Brenda Cleland Worthey, Wayne Cleland, Helen Cleland, Wendell Powell, Marcia Kesler Attaway, Phillip William Kesler, Gary Ronald Kesler and lifelong friends to Max and the family, Bill and Betty Chapman, Wayne and Nell Howell, Bill Daniel and devoted friend, Linda A. Dean. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Max's "Hidden Heroes" who extended love, support and comfort to Max daily. Thank you to the Staff at Emory University Hospital, Long Leaf Palliative & Hospice Care, Dr. Paul Cox, Mrs. Eva Henson, Dorothy Horton, Bubber Waters, Jason Moon, Steve Edwards, Aubrey Lukwesa, Brian C. Chitomfwa, Mike Olson, Jim Galloway, Jason Meininger and Alan Smith. Max was buried at Georgia National Cemetery with full military honors. He was laid to rest beside his Mother and Father. A celebration of life for Senator Cleland will be announced later but is planned for some time in April 2022. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hugh & Juanita Kesler Cleland Endowed Scholarship Fund and the Max Cleland Leadership Program at Stetson University. Stetson University Development Office 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8286 DeLand, FL 32723 Online at: https://www.stetson.edu/administration/development/give.php