Edward L. Rowny
and Kraemer won. He was-and still is-a powerful, dynamic and articulate
speaker who illustrates his points in four languages. I became so fascinated
listening to him that I forgot much of what I was to say during my own
presentation.
Army Member, Chairman's Staff Group, JCS
But, apparently, it went over pretty well. There were several talent seekers in the
audience, and I was tapped to become a member of the chairman's staff group.
The group consisted of three officers-one Army, one Navy and one Air
Force-who acted as personal assistants to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff. We reviewed his papers, did our own research, and gave completely in-
dependent and confidential recommendations to the chairman. As his personal
assistants we were completely answerable to him and responsible to no one else.
It was a very fascinating job and a powerful spot, powerful because one could
influence important decisions. Even after recommendations had gone through the
entire bureaucracy and put forward by a number of high-ranking officers, we could
give a completely candid and separate view on what the chairman should do.
..
Before we talk about your job in the chairman's staff group, could you summarize
what you thought about the National War College?
Yes. The National War College is a great place for three reasons. First, it
A
exposes you to a broad cross-section of high-ranking people in Washington who
come to the War College and speak frankly and off-the-record. It opened my eyes
and broadened my horizons considerably.
Second, the college allows you to make life-long friendships with people in the Air
Force, the Navy and the State Department. A number of those friendships I
established at the college proved invaluable later on. For example, when I went
to Vietnam, I had trouble finding a place to set up headquarters. Because of a
roles and missions fight, I was dispossessed from my office every other week. An
Air Force officer I met at the War College took me in and let me share his office.
He did this even though General LeMay had labeled me as "Air Force Public
Enemy No. 1. He gave me this title because I was introducing armed helicopters
into Vietnam.
Third, we learned a great deal from the month-long trips the college took. I
elected to go back to Africa where I had served early in World War II. Even
though I had spent several months in Africa during the early days of the war, I still
felt Africa was the continent I knew least. It was interesting to go back to Liberia
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