July 11, 2012
 
On this date in 1955 (57 years ago) I was sworn into the US Army as a Regular Army Second Lieutenant.  I was so proud.  I proceeded from Atlanta, GA (I was sworn in at the HQ, Third US Army, Fort McPherson) to the US Army Engineer School, Fort Belvoir, Va to attend the EOBC (Engineer Officers Basic Course). From there I went on to have a truly wonderful and satisfying career until I retired on the 31st of July, 1975, 20 years and 20 days of active federal commissioned service.  The rank I held longest was 0-5, Lieutenant Colonel, the rank at which I retired.  I regretted the decision to retire at 20 just about the day after I had actually done so.  I missed it so much then and I miss it more even today.  Military service gave me the pride in knowing I was contributing to the security of this country and that I was accomplishing something good.

I never had a bad assignment.  Some were more rewarding than others, but all were good and I enjoyed them.  I did them to the best of my ability and I hope I did them well.  There were a couple of highlights, though.

The best assignment I ever had was as a company commander in Korea in 1962-63.  I was CO of A Co., 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, in the Spoonbill of South Korea.  We were just a few hundred yards south of the DMZ and north of the Imjin River.  No unescorted civilians were allowed in the Spoonbill and our mission was a) support of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry (:Gary Owen", Custer's old unit at the Little Bighorn.), b) Support of UN personnel in Panmunjom, and c) maintenance of the tank trails, bridges, and minefields in the DMZ.  The unit was outstanding with great officers and truly superior NCO's and soldiers. In fact, A/8E was awarded the Itschner Award, given each year for the outstanding company sized unit in the Army.  At that time, only one award was given, to active units, and 1963 was just the third year of the award.  I received a nice notice suitable for framing from the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) which hangs on my wall today.

The next best job was as CO, 24th Engineer Battalion, 4th Armored Division, in Nuernberg/Fuerth, Germany in 1968-71.  That was also the toughest assignment.  There was much turmoil in the Army then.  Vietnam was in full force and we were short handed and supplies were short and replacement of men and supplies was sporadic.  In fact, we received replacement soldiers who were draftees, who had completed a full tour in Vietnam and, because they were single, were transshipped to Germany to fill the vacancies.  Usually these men had only 3-5 months remaining on their terms of service and they sure as hell didn't want to be there in Germany just to keep the numbers up.  As a result there were a few more disciplinary problems than normal and racial tensions were high at times.

The saving grace at that time was my cadre of officers.  They were almost all young and inexperienced.  A couple had Vietnam experience (including myself and my XO), one was a National Guard officer on extended active duty and the rest were mostly fresh out of EOBC.  But, in the tradition of a citizen army, they certainly rose to the occasion and performed magnificently (well, maybe magnificently is a bit too much, but they did a helluva job). In fact, now, over 40 years later, I still consider most of them my friend and former comrades-in-arms.  I cannot overstate how much they all mean to me.  And the key NCO's were also outstanding, teaching these young lieutenants the ways of the Army while running their squads, platoons and companies on a day-to-day basis.  At the time, I was 35 years old and fresh out of Command and General Staff College (CGSC). I know I made just about every mistake in the book, but somehow, we managed to remain operational, pass the ORT's, the CMMI's and AGI's.  That is a testament to the tenacity and initiative of the officers and men of that battalion.  When I relinquished command in May 1971, the 4th Armored Division was deactivated and redesignated the 2d Armored Division.  The 24th Engineer Battalion was reflagged as the 16th Engineer Battalion.  They are serving in Iraq/Afghanistan today.

To any of my old comrades-in-arms who may read this, I say thanks and "Press On!"