Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
Commanding General, Ohio River Division
Q:
So, in January of '81 it was off to Cincinnati and the Ohio River Division, and a rather quick
change from your previous assignment. What kind of preparation, transition, were you able
to have in going to the Ohio River Division?
A:
Well, I don't know how much anyone ever has. I think I probably had as much and as good
as anybody could. First of all, the four months in Civil Works were helpful in digging into
that arena and knowing things. Since I knew I was going to the Ohio River Division, of
course, I listened more intently to those items wherever that was mentioned, or I could note,
you know, a particular policy having to do with large dams. When involved with budget
issues, I would always note where the Ohio River Division stood relative to others. Although
I didn't really spend time focused on the division, I nevertheless could look for perceptions
of the Ohio River Division, and I could go around and talk with Alex Shwaiko, Lew Blakey,
and Bory Steinberg, and others to get their insights on what was ahead.
In addition, TennTom was a big item at the time. I'm not sure when General Heiberg made
the famous testimony before the Senate committee, but I remember a roomful of people. I
think it was during that time frame, but maybe when I was still in the ACE. I knew I was
going to the Ohio River Division so I went to hear the testimony.
Also, because I was going to have to testify in the fourth or fifth week after I arrived in the
Ohio River Division before the House committee, I flew out to the division and had an early
get-acquainted briefing session, but primarily oriented toward the budget. Thus, when I
arrived out there, we could immediately go into final budget preparation. I mean, the budget
was all prepared; it wasn't a matter of putting the budget together but preparing me to defend
the budget. At the Ohio River Division we used mock hearings to prepare; that is, the district
engineers and their staffs came in and the division engineer and his staff would then be the
committee hearing the testimony of the district. We would do that with our own testimony
books before us with the projects that I was later going to have to be able to defend before
the congressional committee. That first several-week period in the division was rather
intensely devoted to the budget, and so going out there in advance one time to get a pre-brief
was helpful.
Q:
At that point General Griffith was gone, right?
A:
He had left that summer.
Q:
Did you really have any interface?
A:
There was a six-month underlap. Colonel Rich Gell, the deputy, had been the acting division
commander. I talked with General Griffith here in town briefly and he filled me in on some
of the main people involved and his evaluation of them.
Q:
Anything from the Chief of Engineers, instructions or advice? Or General Heiberg?
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