Enaineer Memoirs
I went through the whole thing. He said, "Okay." That's how the Corps of Engineers obtained its
first air-conditioned office vehicles.
Tulsa was possibly the Morris family's favorite career place and job. We still have many friends.
I had an opportunity after I retired to spend a lot of time in Tulsa. When our son John was
married, the minister of our church in Tulsa came to St. Louis to perform the service. If John had
a problem when he was stationed in the Middle West, he'd go to Tulsa and see Father Richard
Daniels. Susan communicated for years with some of her Tulsa friends. It was a highlight of our
life, personally as well as professionally.
Q .. I interviewed several generals who said that the district engineer's job is the best job to have.
A:
I think so too. When you leave it, you are sure to have the "ex-district engineer syndrome."
Q:
Looking back on your military career as you left Tulsa, how would you characterize it?
A:
Leaving Tulsa in the summer of 1965 was the tenth anniversary of my going to Goose Bay,
Labrador. That decade probably was the most critical in my development because of the
assignments and the people with whom I was associated. At Goose Bay, you recall, I was the
resident engineer on a tough military construction job under a very strong-minded boss with
whom I couldn't communicate easily. The weather didn't help either. That was the first time I had
been in a responsible position dealing with a very complex construction problem, a cost-plus type
contract and a client, the air base commanding general, who was very demanding of engineers-a
broadening experience and an education in understanding the construction processes and in future
planning of the work to maximize the brief outdoor construction period. Certainly the Goose Bay
job increased my understanding of and self-confidence in executing complex contracts,
The OCE personnel assignment was a complete change of pace-to staff duty from command.
t and the future leadership of the Corps. Assign ment of
I became associated with the then
Corps officers develops compassion and a willingness to understand the problems of individual
officers and their families while being responsible for their education and development.
Korea, as a commander of the Army's top divisional combat battalion in an outpost s ituation,
followed by schooling at the Army War College, refreshed my understanding of the military
organization and role of the combat engineer and broadened my knowledge of national strategy.
These two years provided my initial association with personnel from other nations, other services,
and the Department of State. Next came the Tulsa District and total immersion in the civil works
program with all the political, planning, and engineering implications that go with it, particularly
contract management.
So those four or five assignments covering a ten-year period gave me the background to assume
any job within the Corps and many positions within the Department of Defense or even in the
political arena. So that was an important period when looked at collectively because it exposed
me to most of the responsibilities an engineer officer is supposed to understand-troops,
personnel management, military construction, public works, and Department of the Army level
staff.
West Point
A:
Upon my departure from Tulsa the "ex-district engineer syndrome" set in immediately as we
reported to the Military Academy at West Point for duty in the Department of Tactics. Until this
time we had never lived on an Army post except while in school. Gerry had reached the point of
believing we never would.
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