area while the enemy was still in a sense of shock from the nuclear explosion, we
would be able to exploit his temporarily weakened condition.
Rewriting the manuals and teaching the students new ideas gave me a great feling
of satisfaction. I felt we were contributing in a major way revolutionizing the
thinking of our younger officers and advancing the Army's professionalism. We
got the Infantry School out of the rut of simply indoctrinating officers by
encouraging them to think for themselves.
Q ..
How did you deal with the students who were concerned that teaching tactics
applicable to Korea was not the type of war they might have to fight in the future?
A
You've raised an important question. The answer is that we had to hedge our bets.
We had to admit we didn't know what kind of wars we would have to fight in the
future. The more probable wars we would have to fight were the kind we experi-
enced in World War II. Therefore, we had to pay a lot of attention to possibilities
of a return to set-piece warfare. But we were concerned that the lessons learned
from Korea could be put to great advantage in other wars. More fire power and
greater mobility were basic elements which could enhance all types of operations.
At the same time, we were thinking about the kind of warfare we later encountered
in Vietnam. I don't want to claim that we predicted what was going to happen in
Vietnam. But we did pay a great deal of attention to the use of helicopters in
guerrilla warfare situations.
Armed Forces Staff College
Q ..
When you left the Infantry School, I take it you went to the Armed Forces Staff
College. What was that like?
A
The Armed Forces Staff College was a breeze. It was like a vacation to me
because I was the senior officer at the course. The relaxing atmosphere gave me
an opportunity to get to know officers of the other services. I was also able to read
a great deal. It was a broadening experience, a break from the intense period at
Fort Benning and a welcome sabbatical. I had few responsibilities and could just
sit back, think and enjoy life.
Q ..
Did you have any contemporaries or friends at the college?
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