John W. Morris
That's how traditions get started, but it's really not the end of the story because, as luck would
have it, the division called an alert at 0400 on 16 June. This meant that we had to be combat-
loaded and moving our vehicles out of the compound within two hours. Well, the 8th Engineers
normally could do that in about 30 or 40 minutes. On this particular morning everybody was slow
to rise and slower to function. About 0500 the division CG [commanding general] called for a
report, and I told him we were going to be ready within the allotted two hours. After a few
minutes General Britton showed up and wanted to know just what was the problem. So I
explained the whole scenario. He thought that was kind of humorous. Fortunately, we did make
it within two hours and got off the hook as far as the division commander was concerned.
At any rate, a small case of hepatitis ended with the initiation of a tradition.
The battalion's duties need to be discussed further. We did a lot of training, of course, to keep
ourselves sharp. Our engineer companies accompanied their battle groups on
maneuvers-training exercises. The division also had training exercises as did the battalion. I
moved the whole battalion to the field several times, which was an innovation to that group, and
then we had the separate battalion missions, of course, such as airfield and road work and our
equipment readiness program. We removed several active minefields. This was a little hairy since
these Korean War minefields had been in place for years. We had only one accident and that
because a soldier violated the rules for entering and leaving the minefield.
The engineer battalion was issued three combat engineer vehicles [CEVs-Sherman tanks with
a mounted `dozer blade. The crews consequently participated in the division armored firing
exercises. Our Sergeant Garcia placed first in the 1st Cav Division firings, much to our glee and
the armored unit's dismay.
We accomplished our initial goal of bringing the battalion to a solid footing as a divisional
battalion. We gave the division good support, and we steadily improved team performance in
executing a divisional combat battalion's mission.
One personal lesson learned emphasized that communications are so important, particularly when
non-Americans were working in conjunction with us. Our water supply was taken from a nearby
creek, treated, and pumped up to the tanks that I mentioned earlier, and gravity fed to the camp.
Cold weather presented certain problems. The piping was not insulated, and to avoid freezing the
water in the lines required frequent pumping.
One frigid evening I went to the water point and explained to the soldier on duty that we had to
run water through those lines for ten minutes every hour so the lines wouldn't freeze. He did
exactly what I told him. The only problem was that ten minutes every hour was not enough to fill
the tanks, so while the lines didn't freeze, we ran out of water the next midday. The lesson was
communications. He did what I told him, but I thought I was telling him something else.
Nevertheless, that etched in my mind the thought that if somebody misunderstands or doesn't do
what is asked, the odds are that the problem is with the sender, not with the receiver. So I
couldn't, in good conscience, blame this soldier for letting the camp run out of water. I really
could only blame myself because my instructions had not been sufficiently clear.
Our battalion didn't have a chaplain because the division was short of chaplains. We were getting
some help from the divisional chaplain, but it wasn't very satisfactory. I finally arranged with the
Baptist Mission in Seoul to send us a minister, and he turned out to be truly outstanding. We had
few soldiers and only a very small number of attendees at church until he arrived, but in short
order the chapel was full. The value of religious services and of religion to soldiers when they're
far away from home became evident.
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