________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
General Kem (second from left) with leaders from the Nashville District at the
Divide Cut of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in 1990.
Now, with the questionnaire coming back, I was really kind of surprised because many of the
answers suggested that everybody wanted me to be a "Super Chief of Staff." I've always told
you that I wanted to deal in substance and thought I should deal in substance, and we had a
Chief of Staff who could handle the process. Well, he's not a general officer, that's true, but
he's pretty effective. At least I thought so. Having just been a Chief of Staff, I knew how one
could operate a staff and deliver what the CINCUSAREUR needed, and how demanding he
was in that instance, and how you have to keep a lot of activities going. I mean, there's a lot
involved in being Chief of Staff.
We had a deputy commander in Europe, so we had that same separation role over there--the
two got together, but they also did their different things. So, there were two substantive
persons, not one a mirror of the other.
So, when I read the results of the questionnaire I thought, "No, I can't be a `Super Chief of
Staff.' We don't need two of us; there really is enough work around here to be dealt with
substantively for the Deputy."
So, I used the session initially to sort out the issue: Isn't there enough work at the Corps
headquarters? What really is the problem?
445
Previous Page
