Carroll H. Dunn
Q ..
And that included Weary [Walter K.] Wilson, who later became Chief of Engineers?
A ..
That's right. He was one of the deputies at that time. I had known him before, but we
were not as closely associated as during this assignment.
Q ..
And you would work with him again in CEBMCO?
A ..
He was the chief when I went to CEBMCO in 1960. Actually, he became chief right
after I was assigned to CEBMCO.
Q ..
What was it like to work with Sturgis? Your relationship with him was fairly short.
A ..
Very short.
Q ..
How would you describe him as a man and as a boss and as Chief of Engineers?
A ..
Well, he was an easy person for whom to work because there was never any question
about what he wanted. He was very explicit in his instructions, and it was not hard to
determine just what he wanted and what he anticipated. It also was a learning
experience, being my first assignment in Washington. He was aware of that and was
very supportive and helpful.
It was kind of an anomaly to have a colonel in that position; however, I got along very
well with the senior people. For one thing, I made sure that I never issued any
instructions I had no problem saying that General Sturgis would like to have you do
so-and-so, and that was accepted. They had come to know that I wouldn't say it unless
it came from. him, and there was never any question but that I was simply carrying out
his instructions.
The other part of my job was to coordinate and be sure that papers that went to him
were
and that whoever should have had an input wasn't bypassed.
Another major activity was to correlate and establish a basis for updating what was then
called "Engineer Orders and Regulations." We needed a more logical format than the
bound book: used up to that time with no provision for any changes or additions.
Q ..
How was your working relationship with General Itschner?
A
Itschner was much harder to work for because he had a hard time delegating. He was
a very intelligent individual who had a tremendous capacity and was inclined to get
involved in many, many details. Therefore, it was much more difficult to be sure just
what it was that he expected and wanted.
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