Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
mechanizing. That is, the sixth battalion of seven is mechanizing right now; five are done,
one more to come. That's 10 years. The brigade engineer has been established now for four
years or so. Things don't happen just like that, but you've got to persist and go after them.
EForce is going to succeed someday. If not now, someday these lieutenant colonels and
colonels who had to fight their maneuver battalions and brigades at the NTC and have found
their engineer support lacking are going to approve an EForce because the alternative is not
to have any engineers. If they're not able to do the job, might as well not have them. So,
we've given them, the maneuver commanders, the solution, and they understand that
solution, and they'll buy it when they get up in the ranks to positions of influence.2
Q:
Is the work you've done on this one of the reasons you've been selected to go to become the
DCSENGR in Europe?
A:
I don't think so. You'd have to ask somebody else why I got selected, but, if I were to guess,
it's because--well, first of all, the DCSENGR job is primarily facilities construction,
maintenance, housing, plus, like the Chief of Engineers, senior staff member at the
headquarters for the combat engineer. So, EForce is only a small part of that. I would say
it's more likely the fact that I have had Europe experience and I was in the DCSENGR shop
before as the Chief of the Installations and Construction Division, and then subsequently the
assistant DCSENGR. I have had that experience, so I have a feel for the arena. That's
probably why I was selected.
Q:
Thinking that the work you've done there is critical because if you go to war, you are the
most important engineer officer, aren't you, in Europe, by far?
A:
Well, I don't know. I'm the one that's got the most assets, thinking about it. Certainly, if we
go to war, we ought to have EForce in place if we intend to maneuver.
Q:
Do you think you'll be able to influence it from the Europe perspective?
A:
I don't know; I'll have to find that out. General Otis already has signed up for it, so it's to the
point right here where it's ready to be carried forward and won. If we get concept approval,
I'll certainly have the stationing all figured out in Europe to get it done.
Q:
All set to go.
A:
We'll facilitate the force modernization aspects because one would have to assume Europe
would be high up on the priority list for doing it because it's already high up on the
equipment list and all the rest of the priorities.
Q:
Do you look forward to your new position?
2
Editor's note: When Lieutenant General Fred Franks, commanding general of the VII Corps in Germany, was alerted to move
his Corps to Saudi Arabia for DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, he organized his engineers into EForce configurations and fought
the battle that way. Then on 31 March 1991, Army Chief of Staff Vuono approved the Engineer Restructure Initiative, which was
a renamed EForce with some refinements--for example, the bridge company was deleted. The approval established an engineer
brigade of three engineer battalions in each armored and mechanized division.
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