Engineer Memoirs
men of the platoon had stripped themselves of several layers of cold weather gear
so they could move more rapidly. As a result, they were freezing and in no
position to lie in the cold. And because of the accurate and withering fire, they
could move neither forward nor backwards.
General Boatner was convinced that I had done the proper thing. He saw that I had
no alternative but to commit more troops once the platoon had bogged down. He
reported to Washington that he had investigated the situation and had absolved me
of any wrongdoing. The next day he received a message which read: "Obey
instructions. Relieve Rowny for having violated the policy of not committing more
than a platoon. Notwithstanding the extenuating circumstances, we cannot allow
commanders to violate instructions from Washington. Other commanders must
realize that we are serious."
General Boatner wired back: "If you want to relieve somebody, relieve me. I'm
in command here." He left me in command and I never heard any more about the
incident. Washington knew Boatner was not bluffing. He was a man willing to
stand up to higher authority, even though the pressure was great. He could have
simply carried out his instructions and relieved me. To put it mildly, I was elated;
it was a lesson in moral courage.
Q ..
What became of Boatner? Did he suffer any consequences for his action?
A ..
No. Washington had great confidence in Boatner who, among other skills, could
speak Chinese. He had been a Chinese language student and had served in China.
He was sent to Koje-do titer Chinese prisoners there had captured two U.S.
general officers and held them hostage. When he was sent to Koje-do, I pleaded
with him to let me go with my regiment which had orders to back him at Koje-do.
But my time was up. The Army was rotating regimental commanders every six
months and my six months had expired. I was told I had done my job and that it
was time for me to turn over my command.
Q ..
So where did you go from there?
A
I went to Tokyo. I had accrued some leave and used it to pack up my family. and
came back with them by boat to San Francisco. There, I picked up a new car and
drove across the United States to Fort Benning to take over my new job as chief
of the regimental tactics department.
Previous Page
