Captain James Thurston was Mac Conway's CO during his second tour in Vietnam. Thurston played a large role in the Quan Thang massacre and commanded his platoon to do horrific acts to an innocent farming village, such as the slaughter of native women and children. As it happens, Thurston was taking orders from the Broker the entire time in order to exploit the land's natural opiates for profit.Conway encounters Thurston once more in 1972, when Conway sees him in a local bar and confronts him about the Vietnam war crimes. A bloody altercation ensues, ultimately resulting in Thurston's death.