Ernest Graves
44th Engineer Construction Battalion, relieving a classmate of ours, [Colonel Charles
L.] Charlie Steel, who had the battalion.
As the spring wore on, Bob had an opportunity to go into the food irradiation program,
which was a nuclear program, the concept of which was to sterilize food with high
intensity gamma rays. If food is sterilized in this manner, it will keep for months if not
years, simply by being hermetically sealed. It doesn't have to be refrigerated. The
concept was that with this technique the Army could greatly simplify and improve its
whole ration system.
Bob was one who had been involved with the nuclear business before, and he had the
opportunity to do this. It was a new program. I think he decided at that point in his
career, that instead of following the traditional engineer career pattern, he would get
into this, because it had a lot of possibilities. He transferred to the Quartermaster Corps
in order to go into this food irradiation program.
When he did that, it left the command of the 44th Engineers uncovered, and I was there
on their list. I don't know whether they had had any thoughts of what to do with me up
until that point, but it was very convenient then to say that I would take the 44th. That
was great.
Q:
Did you have any concerns, thinking back on your last troop assignment with the
1282d?
A:
Yes. I hadn't been with troops in a long time. I certainly had more confidence in my
ability to get things done, but I really didn't know what I was getting into. When I
arrived in Korea, I found a lot of very good things in this battalion, which were the
result of what Charlie Steel had done.
They had a high esprit, and they had an ethic of getting work done. They got out early
and they did a lot of work, and they had done tremendous projects in the year before
I got there. On the downside, their administration was deplorable and their equipment
situation was a catastrophe.
Q:
In terms of maintenance or supply?
A:
Maintenance and supply.
Q:
Both.
A:
And they weren't very strong in planning. One reason they weren't was that their
compound was in Bup Yong. It was called ASCOM [Army Service Command] City
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