Born during the Great Depression, Lieutenant General Max W. Noah, USA (Ret.), attended Georgia Military College elementary and high school, and received his appointment to the United States Military Academy through GMC.
LTG Noah graduated from GMC (HS) in 1948 and began his engineering education at Georgia Tech before receiving an offer of admission to the United States Military Academy as an honor graduate of GMC. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1953. He received his Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University. General Noah’s military schooling included the U.S. Army War College and the Defense System Analyst Course. He was a registered Professional Engineer in the State of New York.
General Noah, the first in his family to join the military since the Civil War, served as a career Army Officer in the Corps of Engineers for 35 years and lived out the GMC values of “duty, honor, country” his entire life. He commanded Army Engineer units at all levels to include those in the 82d Airborne Division, the 3d Infantry Division and 2d Engineer Group in Korea, and the 18th Engineer Brigade in Vietnam. His construction experience in the Army Corps of Engineers included a variety of projects ranging from the Oahe Dam in South Dakota in the 1950’s, flood control on the Upper Mississippi, and constructing airfields in the Negev desert in Israel afterthe Camp David Accords in the 1980’s. From 1980 to 1982, General Noah commanded the U.S. Army Engineer School, Ft. Belvoir.
Later in his career, General Noah led analysis and financial programs at major Army Headquarters including TRADOC at Fort Monroe, VA and the Army Staff and Secretariat in the Pentagon. He developed Army programs as the Director of PA&E from 1982 to 1984 followed by four years as the Comptroller of the Army.
General Noah retired in 1988 in Alexandria, VA, yet his service didn’t stop in retirement. He continued to impact the Nation’s defense by working for Burdeshaw Associates and later his own defense consulting firm, and he volunteered his time with numerous non-profit organizations, including the Army Historical Foundation, Georgia Military College and WPAOG’s Finance Committee. He also helped start many creative idea concepts and developments with other entities like the North Carolina Global TransPark and the Institute for Defense and Business.
His military awards and decorations include two Distinguished Service Medals, two Legion of Merits, a Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal and the Senior Parachutist Badge. Post retirement, General Noah’s efforts and leadership continued to be recognized by serving as honorary Colonel of the 307th Engineer Regiment and the receipt of the Gold Deflurry from the Army Engineer Association. In 2015, General Noah was appointed as a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Military Academy.
General Noah and his wife, Priscilla, were active and dedicated supporters of Georgia Military College for several decades. General Noah was honored with the Georgia Military College Distinguished Alumnus award in 1982 and served as the 2011 Alumni Parade Speaker. He served as a GMC Foundation Board of Trustee and as the 2012-2013 Annual Fund Chair.
General Noah stayed active in the military community pursuing his passion for our Nation’s defense, our Army, the Corps of Engineers, West Point, and the next generations of leaders. He was a well-respected leader and effective businessman assisting organizations and individuals attain greater outcomes for our nation.
Despite all of his military success, he and his wife, Priscilla, always remembered the importance of family. He enjoyed being a big part of the growth and development of the next two generations of his family – daughter Kimbel Burt and her husband LTC (USA-Ret) Michael of New Orleans, LA; son Van Noah and wife Meena of Chapel Hill, NC; daughter Dabney Moulton and husband James of Longmont, CO; and six grandchildren, Tori Burt Paddock (Craig), Marilyn Moulton Hammond (Eric), Max Oh Noah, Daniel Moulton (Meg), Michael N Burt, Jeffrey Moulton, and great-children, Theodore and Otto Hammond, James Allen and Amelia Moulton and Everett Paddock.
