Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
do it." Not realistic; so we had devices there so you had to go do the job and the unit had to
be trained to do it.
So, Ranger School taught me that you don't need to compromise with training. You can
make it realistic and then you get full value from it. So, don't compromise; keep your
standards high for training, and then the unit will benefit from that.
23d Engineers, 3d Armored Division
Q:
So, you reported as a platoon leader?
A:
Yes, I reported to Germany to be a platoon leader in C Company of the 23d Engineer
Battalion.
Q:
23d Engineers. Who was your company commander?
A:
Tommy G. Smith was my company commander. Started off with a bang.
Q:
What was it like being a platoon leader?
A:
Well, it's something you look forward to with some relish. It was a super experience. I have
to say once again how Ranger School and West Point, the sense of duty, the sense of mission
that you got out of those places, make you ready and confident in what you can do.
The day I arrived in Germany was Rose Monday. It was the last celebrating day of Fasching.
Germans go bonkers celebrating the pre-Lenten season. My classmate, Chuck Brinkley, had
gone straight to airborne and come over. Another classmate, Ernie Ruffner, was also in the
battalion with me. Chuck was a bachelor and already well at home. He said, "Come on out,
we're going to a party tonight. It's the last night of Fasching." So, I spent my very first night
in Germany out till three o'clock in the morning at a big Fasching party at the Stadthalle, got
up the next day to meet the battalion commander for the first time, and luckily he was out
with the mumps.
They told me I was assigned to C Company. I went there and the company commander
wasn't there either. He was off. Nor were there any platoon leaders or an executive officer
around, just the first sergeant. He was really ill at ease because the division sent down a no-
notice first aid inspection team that morning to check out C Company. The company was to
turn out 1 officer and 3 to 4 noncommissioned officers and 20 to 25 soldiers to take this first
aid test.
I was the only officer available and I had just arrived; should they or should they not include
me? So, the first sergeant asked me, "Well, what do you think?" I said, "Well, yeah, let's go
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