Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
Nevertheless, I thought that in combination, West Point and the Engineer School and
Airborne and Ranger Schools prepared me very well for my first duty assignment.
Q:
The basic course was longer then, wasn't it?
A:
I believe so. Two and a half months then. It was the 1st of August we arrived. We left about
middle of October. Of course, now a lot of cadets go to airborne during their time in ROTC
or at West Point. Then, you did not do that. We left Belvoir to go straight to Ranger School.
Thought we had two days to make it, but when we reported in on Sunday night we found out
we were already two days late. Our infantry brethren were in the basic infantry course, and so
we would be running through the Harmony Church area doing our physical training, and
we'd find the Tom Griffins and Norm Schwarzkopfs all sitting over there on the ground
taking a break from their instruction and taunting us as we did this. Of course, their time was
going to come.
Q:
Now, did you all go to airborne and ranger?
A:
No, you had to volunteer if you wanted to do that, but essentially most folks went airborne.
We also had our Army aviation as a choice. You could go to two of the three.
Q:
Two of the three.
A:
People opted for one or two. There were different combinations, but certainly not so many
went ranger. Most, as I mentioned, went airborne.
Q:
So, that was the influence of the World War II airborne generals, Maxwell Taylor and a
couple of other people of the '50s. I've heard it commented that there was a lot of airborne
influence in the Army in the '50s.
A:
Well, there always has been.
Q:
So, those schools were shorter than the basic course?
A:
Yes. Airborne at that time was three weeks long, but then you stayed for a week of
jumpmaster. Now you don't get the jumpmaster at Benning; you get it back at Bragg if you
go to the 82d. The ranger course at that time was seven weeks long. We didn't have the
desert phase as they do now. We had two weeks at Fort Benning, followed by two and a half
weeks in the swamps out of Eglin Air Force Base, and two and a half weeks in the mountains
out of Dahlonega, Georgia.
Q:
So, you went to the airborne course--that would be about the 1st of the year, January?
A:
I was in Ranger School from mid-October till mid-December. I spent a week at Benning
attached to the airborne department, then home for Christmas leave. I came back and started
airborne on the order of 4, 5, 6 January. Airborne lasted through January. I took leave after
that. My recollection is reporting to Germany on 2 March.
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