Engineer Memoirs _____________________________________________________________________
what else I would like to do to make it a two-day affair, and then I'll start the negotiation
maybe three months in advance.
I'll participate in that process, so that when we lock it, it's of value. That participation may
be one phone call, two phone calls, put it down and the details will come in later. I know
generally what's there and what's going on, and to put it in the parlance we taught at Fort
Belvoir, the commander's guidance has been given; now frame it, and flesh it out, and make
it work.
I guess I learned that lesson--that's probably another contributor of the past--when I was
commander of the 7th Engineer Brigade in Germany because I really had three hats. I have
two hats here in this job; I had three hats there. I was a brigade commander, commanding the
largest engineer brigade in the Army, six battalions and an atomic demolition munitions
company. I was also the Corps engineer, responsible for all engineering activities in the VII
Corps, to the Corps commander. I was community commander of the Ludwigsburg
Kornwestheim community during this time, subcommunity of the greater Stuttgart military
community.
What I found out was that the community staff because I interacted with at least three mayors
and county commissioners, the Landrat would ask for my attendance at things far in advance
of either the Corps staff or the brigade. So, my first few months there I was always boxed
because my calendar was filled.
My learning experience was that I had to take charge of my own calendar or I would lose my
ability to influence things. So, I did it then, and that experience has been valuable ever since.
Q:
Do you and General Hatch have regularly scheduled one-on-one time, or has it just happened
irregularly, or how do you arrange for those kinds of meetings?
A:
No. We have a door between our two offices, and we walk back and forth as needed but
don't have a scheduled one-on-one. I go see him when I think something's burning, and he's
the person who finally provides the direction, and that sort of thing.
So, if I've been handling something and I want to make sure he's aware of it and the
direction I'm going, he's got a chance to tell me that. Or if I find out something he ought to
know because he's working something and I want to make sure he has that influence and my
input into what he's doing, I just walk next door and we chat.
So, it's been rather ad hoc, discussing things.
Q:
Have you found yourself ever put in the position as the deliverer of bad news, as, you know,
something has teed off the Chief, kind of thing?
A:
Oh, you mean to deliver bad news from him to somebody else? Or are you talking about
taking bad news to him?
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