Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
something like the 1st Infantry Division (Forward) Brigade, which was located there, there
would be an engineer company that was organic to that combat element.
In addition to those engineers assigned to larger combatant elements--doctrine calls for, and
our force structure provided for--there was in fact, an engineer combat brigade with each
Corps. That was the 130th Engineer Brigade in V Corps, and the 7th Engineer Brigade in VII
Corps.
Now, in addition, our doctrine and structure calls for a brigade at echelons above Corps; that
is, that would be part of the communications zone or rear combat zone as portrayed in
Europe. In Europe that was the 18th Engineer Brigade, which was composed of four combat
heavy battalions and the topo battalion.
So, then, and until recently when the drawdowns began, the 18th Engineer Brigade had the
four combat heavy engineer battalions plus the topo battalion. The 130th Brigade supporting
V Corps had three engineer combat battalions (Corps) and some number of bridge companies
and combat support equipment companies. The 7th Engineer Brigade had at that time four
combat engineer battalions (Corps), plus three float bridge companies, plus a panel bridge
company, plus two combat support equipment companies. At that time both Corps engineer
brigades had an atomic demolition munition company. The one with the 7th Engineer
Brigade was the 275th ADM Company. So, the 7th Brigade had about 6,000 or 7,000 folks
and provided engineer support from the Corps' rear boundary forward into the division in
support of the division elements and backing up the divisional engineer battalion.
Q:
Now, you said in another interview that in this position you really were wearing three hats.
Could you talk just in an overview way about that, and maybe then we could talk about each
hat a little more.
A:
Certainly. Well, you identified that I was assigned as the engineer brigade commander and as
the commander of the LudwigsburgKornwestheim community, and that sounds like two
hats. In effect the first one, brigade commander, has two within that position. So, let me first
address the other one, and that is the commander of the LudwigsburgKornwestheim
community.
In Germany, all U.S. forces are assigned in communities, and there are 40-plus major
communities with subcommunities under them. A troop commander, usually a ranking
person in a community or subcommunity, is made the commander of that community. That
was done to make a single commander responsible for both the troops in it and the
community structure--that is, the support structure, the organization that takes care of the
schools, the facilities engineer, and all the other aspects of community life. This was done in
the '70s, I think, by General Blanchard, so that we didn't have a wethey kind of set-up
where the troops always felt, "We're combat; we don't have to bother ourselves with
support," and the support folks had to try to provide the support but had not the wherewithal
to make it happen. By having one commander who had both the troops and the community
responsibilities, there was somebody there who could mind the store for all aspects of
military life and would have everybody pulling together.
186
Previous Page
