Engineer Memoirs
not too good as number two. I probably would have been happier as director of Civil Works
term.
than I would have been as Deputy Chief of Engineers for a
There was one other thing about the deputy's job. It carries with it a certain prestige, you
know. You represent the Chief on the Army staff for many important subjects. As deputy
you're recognized much more than you were, say, as the director of Military Programs or
Civil Works.
Q ..
Did you do any work up on Capitol Hill or did the director of Civil Works take care of that?
A ..
Yes. I continued to have a lot of communication up there because I knew so many people, but
I didn't interfere with the directors of Civil Works or Military Programs in their relations.
Chief of Engineers: Internal and External Relationships
Q ..
Let's begin the session today by discussing your selection for Chief.
A
Of course, having been on the panel for selecting my successor, I can tell you that no one
knows in advance who will get the job. Actually, I was out of the running when I became
deputy in mid-l 975. The reason was simply arithmetic. A person could not assume that job
unless he could finish four years by the time he was 59, and I would pass the
milestone
before General Gribble finished his four-year term in 1977.
When General Gribble elected to retire a year early I became eligible. I didn't learn he was
going to retire early until after the board to select a new Chief had been appointed. A neighbor
at Fort
casually mentioned to my daughter that General Gribble was going to retire
a little early, and she told me. I was surprised. Next day I asked Colonel Russ Lamp, executive
to General Gribble, "What's this I hear about the Chief retiring a year early?"
He said, "Well, that's supposed to be close hold, but since you asked, he reported to the
Chief of Staff he'd like to retire this summer."
So that event made me eligible; and it then became just a question of whether or not my
record would be attractive to the board. The Chief of Engineers is selected by a system
established by legislation. No less than three, no more than five officers of equal or higher
grade to the position being filled would consider all colonels and higher in the Corps of
Engineers. The chairman normally is a four-star general. The procedure normally produces
the names in a sequence. The Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Army can rearrange the
names, but they can't add any. Nor can the president, for that matter.
There is a story going around about General Pick. President Truman had received a list to
replace General [Raymond] Wheeler, and he kept sending it back. The Army finally asked
him what was wrong with the list, and the president supposedly said, "Well, if you'll send
me a list with Lewis A. Pick's name on it, I'll keep it." That may or may not be true, but it
makes a nice story.
In any event, I heard from a fairly good source that I was among those recommended. My
experience fit the needs of the Chief's job, as I've tried to explain in these interviews.
Whether or not my performance in tho jobs would support selection from among the other
and talents remained to be seen.
excellent candidates with other
Finally, my recollection is that about the middle of May, General Gribble came in one
morning and said, "I want you to know I'm going to retire the 30th of June and you've been
nominated to take my position. Until it has been announced, you can't say anything about it."
In reflecting on it, I don't know when General Gribble decided to retire, but I have a feeling
it could have been as early as Christmas in 1975.
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