Engineer Memoirs
Alps. Right next to us was a tavern, so a few beers and the Alps prompted some gusty yodeling.
That was our first night alone in Germany.
Our commander, Colonel Armogida, made a significant difference in my future. As our officers
often said, "He was the commandingest commander." He ran the Engineer School based on very
high standards. Just wouldn't put up with promiscuity or laxity, which were not uncommon in
Germany at that time.
The Engineer School job would be my first three-year fixed assignment. I would be observed over
a long period of time in the same location.
After a few months we moved to an excellent house. We made many friends in Mumau. A few
we'd known before but, by and large, it was a whole new community. I began duties as the supply
officer. I had no idea I'd ever be a supply officer. I thought if I was going to be anything I'd be
one of the training officers, but the commander needed a supply officer and I got the job. In
summer of 1950 I became the S-4 and was responsible for all supply and maintenance. In June
195 1 I was promoted to major.
As the supply officer I learned that there was a tremendous amount of excess property left as the
German families moved out and the problem worsened as American-purchased furniture arrived.
We had it all on inventory and had to keep all these records. Besides, we had numerous real fire
hazards.
When I became S-4 we decided to get rid of this stuff. That was a big program. We had to locate
the owners, explain what we wanted to do, and offer them any furniture they wanted and could
pick up. We set up a day to do all this and actually returned tons of furniture to their owners. Our
program became a good example.
The S-4 had broad duties-too broad probably. He would prepare the budget, get it approved,
and draft the plans and specifications for projects. Next, the S-4 would send the projects to the
contractors, receive the bids, select the low bidder, award the contract, then supervise the
construction. The S-4 oversaw the entire cradle-to-grave process. Colonel Armogida was pleased
because we were putting together things that he'd been trying to get done.
One day just before he was to leave for a new assignment he gave me a nice compliment and
encouraged me to stay in the Army because he thought I had a good future. I never paid much
attention to that at the time, but his thoughts came back to reality later. Anyhow, we finished up
our tour as S-4 and then I was brought back to the States.
How did your family adapt to living in Germany?
In many ways that tour gave us the outstanding three years in our military career as a family. We
A
developed a good family routine and we had ample time for our family affairs. Wednesday
afternoon was off in those days and we played a lot of golf and skied in Garmisch. We traveled
to Paris and Rome, et cetera. Our son was born in Munich at the hospital, and as with the first
child, I wasn't present. When Susan was born I was home in Iowa City, the nurse called and
suggested I not come over till
I did that, but by that time my wife thought I was a little late
coming. In Germany it was even worse. I was in Mumau; she was in Munich at the hospital when
John was delivered by a doctor named C.T. Daniels.
I wanted to name him after my father, but Gerry named our son for me. I am John W. Morris II
after my grandfather John W. Morris. Our family custom was to name sons after grandfathers,
but she changed that summarily.
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