and see how little things had changed over the 15 years since I had served there.
It was also interesting to go to the other parts of Africa. In those days the Mau
M a u were still in Kenya. It was also the beginning of the apartheid riots in South
Africa. All in all, the trip to Africa was a fascinating one.
Q ..
You said this was one of your better tours. Apparently you feel the education
system for Army officers is important. In this connection, did you go to the
Command and General Staff College at Leavenworth?
A ..
Yes, I went to the Command and General Staff College [CGSC] at Leavenworth
during World War II. Because the war was on, the year-long course was
compressed to six months.
I was then in the 92d Division and my commanding general thought going to CGSC
was a waste of time. However, I was in a jeep accident in which I broke my
shoulder. The general thought I'd be of little use around the division for a couple
of months, and felt I could recuperate at the Command and General Staff College
as well as anywhere else. I went to the course with my right shoulder in a cast.
I was assigned a WAC, a Women's Army Corps corporal, to do my writing for
me. On the whole, I found it a fairly good course. I had already done most of the
things they taught at the college but it was a good refresher. It showed me that
some of the things we did in the field had a good academic rationale. At the
college I made some lasting friendships which served me throughout my career.
Next to fighting side-by-side in combat, school is one of the best places to make
friends.
Q ..
Let's get back to your time with the chairman's staff group.
Who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and what do you remember
about him?
A
The chairman was General Lyman L. Lemnitzer. Working for him started an
association which lasted for about 20 years. He was a remarkable man who actively
promoted NATO for years. For a man who was born in the last century [ 1899] he
was an exceptionally vigorous person. I hit it off fairly well with him, something
which helped me get back on a fast career track. I had been the first of the West
Point Class of 1941 to be promoted to 1st lieutenant, the first to make captain, the
first to make major, and the first to make lieutenant colonel, the first to be
promoted to colonel, and the first in my class to be promoted to brigadier general.
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