Lieutenant Colonel Maxwell Pappas is married to the former Lindsey Radke of Corning, NY, and they have three children- Wesley, Lillian, and Bryant. Max was commissioned in 2006 from the United States Military Academy as an infantry officer before completing the Basic Officer Leader Course, Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course, Ranger School, and Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA.
Once complete with initial training, Lt. Col. Pappas was then assigned to 1-21 IN in Schofield Barracks, HI, serving as a Rifle Platoon Leader during the train-up and deployment to Iraq from 2007-2009. Upon his return, he volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan on a Provincial Reconstruction Team, deploying for the majority of 2009 to Zabul Province, Afghanistan.
After returning from Afghanistan, Max once again returned to Fort Benning, GA to attend the Captain’s Career Course, before being assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. After serving for a year as a Brigade Assistant S3, including a 45-day deployment to Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Pappas took command of the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop of 1-89 CAV, deploying with that troop to the National Training Center and then Paktika Province, Afghanistan in 2013. While deployed, Max changed command, taking over C Troop, 1-89 CAV before redeploying back to Fort Drum in late 2013.
After finishing Troop Command, Lt. Col. Pappas attended Georgetown University, earning his Master's Degree in Security Studies from 2014-2016 before attending the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS from 2016-2017. Once complete, he was assigned to 4/3 IN (The Old Guard), serving as the Battalion Executive Officer before being assigned as the Regimental Operations Officer in early 2018. After completing his Key and Developmental time in The Old Guard, Max was assigned to Arlington National Cemetery as the Executive Officer to the Executive Director of Army Cemeteries and Army National Military Cemeteries, serving from July 2019 to May 2022 in that role, and from June 2022 until April 2024 as a lead Policy Officer for the Office of Army Cemeteries.
Lt. Col. Pappas’ awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Air Force Combat Action Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Expert Infantryman’s Badge. He is a graduate of the Ranger Course, Basic Airborne Course, and the Air Assault Course.