THE: 

E:NGINE:E:R
 . OCT 'NO\! DE:C 

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United States Army 

Engineer School 

Fort Belvoir, Virginia 

Commandant 

MG James L. Kelly 

Assistant Commandant 

BG Charles J . Fiala 

Public Affairs Officer 

MAJ Sandor I. Ketzis 

Editor
 

LT T. Scott Lloyd
 

Editorial Board 

MG James L. Kelly 

BG Charles J. Fiala 

COL Robert S. Kubby 

COL Harry S. Wilson Jr. 

COL Charles A. Debelius 

COL Charles A. Kiefer 

COL Joseph A. Yore 

COL Thorwald R. Peterson 

COL Edward K. Wintz 

CSM Lucion L. Cowart 

Production Manager
 

SP5 Anthony E. Banks
 

Production Assistant
 

William W. Behring
 

PFC Linda C. Dirks
 

Cover Art by
 

SP4 Douglas E. Grizwold
 

· Th e Eflg ineer is an author ized Quarterl y pu bl ica . 

t ion of the U .S. Army Engineer SChOOl. It is 

~ubl ishe~ to provide factual and in- depth In ter-rn a . 

non Of Interest to a ll En gineer un its. Articles, 

Pho o~ raph and ar t worK of general inter est may be 

sub m itted fo r cons ide ration to : Ed itor, The Eng i. 

neer, USA Engineer School, Fo rt Belvoir, V irgin ia 

22060. V jews and op in ions expressed her ein are not 

necessari ly th ose of the Departm ent of the Army. 

Use of funds for printing of th is publication has been 

approved by Headquarters, Department ot the 

Army, January L 1974. 

Subscriptio ns to THE ENGINE ER a re available 

through the USAES Periodical PUbl ications Fund 

Fort Bel voir, Va . 22060. Annual Rates are $4.00 fO; 

domestic and APO addresses an d $5.00 for over seas 

add resses . Make checks payable to : The United 

States Treasury . 

Engineer Magazine Telephone : (703) 664.2838 -

Autovon : 354·2838 

TH€ OCT NO\! DE:C 

€NGIN€€R
 

\JOlUME 7 NUMBER 4 1977 

FE:~TURE:S

8 Which Way Engineers?/COL Thorwald R. Peterson 

10 Bridge Erection Boats/ 

ME RADCOM Marine & Bridge Lab 

14 Effective Counseling/Chaplain John Reed 

16 Bridging for the 1980's/ 

MERADCOM Marine & Bridge Lab 

18 New Solution to an Old Problem/ 

20 What's an Army Readiness Region?/ 

MAJ C. J . Schexnayder 

DE: PARTME:NTS 

2 Stop 12/Letters to the Editor 

4 Engineer Directions/Engineer Branch 

13 Tactical Problem/Directorate of Tra ining 

22 A Time In History: The School of Engineering/ 

Lawrence P. Greyson
 

25
 Bridging The Gap/Career Notes 

26 PIPELINE 

28 Tactica I Problem Solution 

29 Chief's Briefs/History 
THE WHITE HOUSE 

WASHINGTON 

Nat ional Engineers Week
 

February 19 - 25, 1978
 

In a year that marks the two hundredth anniversary of George Washington's call for 

formal education in en gineering, the traditional observan ce of National Engineers Week 

takes on added significance. I ext end warm greetings to all the members of the National 

Society of Professional Engineers who sponsor thi s annu al event. 

The creativity and hard work of America's engineers have been instrumental in every 

phase of our na ti onal developmen t. Engineers helped build human settlements in a hostile 

land, to unite peopl e across vast distances, to develop farms and factories to provide the 

nece ssities of life and to cre ate agri cultural and indu strial systems that now support t his 

country and contribute to the eco nomic and social well-being of a good part of the world. 

The need for such creativity and productivity continues today. But it also takes on new 

aspects whi ch enlar ge the chall enge to the engineer. Because of the previous growth he 

has help ed to pr ovide, the enginee r must now bridge th e gap between our resources and 

expec ta t ions with eve r-greater efficiency and care. He must help us t o us e our resources 

in th e most productive ways, with increased emphasis on reducing waste and minimizing 

th e possibility of an y harmful impact on the environme nt. 

In this era of concer n for conservation and continu ed need for economic growth, we look 

more th an ever to the engineer - to his knowl edge, skill and ingenuity - in th e 

continuing task of building a viable economy and a healthy society. 

All of us should wel come this opportunity to salute our country's engineers and to express 

appr ecia t ion for th eir pivotal role in ens ur ing our national well-being. 

- -
Letters to the Editor
 

Dear Sir: 

SlOP /2

Having served in three engineer battalions 

and been associated with t he operations of 

several others, I have become convinced that 

the traditional engineer battalion headquarters 

staff organi zation needs to be changed. Changing the organizational structure of a m ilitary 

unit is not new to most career Army officer s. In 

fact, in many organizations "reor ganizing" is a 

continuing process and all too often changes are 

made just for the " sake of chanqe:: However, 

when it is shown t hat th ere is a problem within a 

military organization we should not hesitate to 

make a change. I believe most combat engineer 

battalion commanders will agree in principle 

wi th m y proposal for it offers a solution to an 

organi zational conflict that now exists in t he 

engineer battalion headquarters. 

As I see it, here is the PROBLEM! 

Battalion staff functions generally follow the 

gu idance provided in FM 101 -5, in that the 

battalion executive officer performs functions 

similar to those of a Chief of Staff. In addition, 

he may be, and usuall y is, the second in 

command. Ot her staff officers (S'l. S2, S3, and 

S4) have duties similar to their higher level 

counterparts ; l.e., Assistant Chiefs of Staff. 

The organizational conflict in a combat eng ineer battalion staff is between the two main 

staff officers, the executive officer and the 

opera tions officer (S3), both authorized Major 

positions . The executive officer, as second in 

command and in charge of coordinating staff 

acti vities. oversees) rates the operations officer . 

I do not believe it is sound military practice to 

have one M a jor rate another . Perhaps this is a 

minor problem , but depending on the personal ities involved, it can be a significant problem and 

adversely affect the operations of the batta lion 

and the career of the officers involved. 

There is another conflict caused by the 

general staff type organization at the battalion 

level. My experience is that in combat operati ons the battalion commander's righthand man 

is	 not the executive officer, but in fact, is t he 

operations officer. The sphere of the operations 

officer's responsibilities is where the action 

takes place ; and with guidance and orders 

directly from the commander, the operations 

officer insures that the battalion's missions are 

bei ng accomplished. Where is the execut ive 

officer when operational discussions are taking 

place between the battalion commander, the S3 

and t he com pany commanders? Usually he is 

in t he battalion trains area coordinating vital 

ser v ice support activities. Therefore, it is not 

uncom m on that the second in comman d is left 

out of t he daily operational aspects of th e 

battalion . Is this logical if he is t he one 

designated to assume command in the absence 

of the batta lion com mander ? I believe it is 

i ll ogi cal and action should be taken to correct 

this deficiency . 

I have seen battalion commanders overcome 

th is organizational malady by assigning the 

sen ior Ma ior as the S3 and therefore, the second 

in command. This wor ks great for operations, 

but how would you like to be the executive 

officer, perfor ming functions as a " Chief of 

Staff;' and have a member of your st aff senior 

to you and being ra ted by t he battalion comm ander? 

Wel l, this is t he PROB LEM, as I see it. 

Bas ically, th e staff officer functional du ties 

r em ain the same, but I have now solved t he 

previousl y described conflict between the two 

Majors by creating two Executive Officer positions, Operations and Support, with each executive officer ha ving his own functional staff 

responsibilities. Here are some of the significant advantages of this battalion headquarters 

organi zation: 

•	 The second in com m and would be the XO 

(Operations), w ho is genera ll y the most 

qualified staff officer to take com mand 

during combat operations if th e need 

arises. 

•	 The staff would already be organized for 

com bat operat ions, in which an engineer 

battalion usuall y has a forward and rear 

CP o 

•	 Th e XO (Oper at ions) would have direct 

au t hor ity to integrate engineer intelligence 

activities into his operational plans. No 

longer would he have to COERCE the S2 

or go through the executive officer in order 

to uti lize the reconnaissance resources of 

the S2. 

•	 The Operations Center would be more responsive to com pany commander's requests for engineer equipment support by 

having the Engineer Equipment Platoon 

directly under the XO (Operations) . 

•	 It balances the span of control between t he 

t hree key people in the battal ion headquarters, the com mander and both executive officers. 

•	 The current Assistant S3 (Captain position) 

would have greater sta ture as a coord i2 
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• nat ing staff officer. (Long overdue since 

he is usually one of 

t he " shar per " captains 

in the 

battal ion). 

•	 Each of the 

XOs would be authorized to 

sign correspondence " FOR THE COM­

MANDER:' thus giving t he battal ion com­

mander greater assurances of professional 

outgoing corresponde nce and r el ieving hi m 

of many 

r out ine administrative du t ies. 

The obvious disadvantage is the com mander 

is now required to resolve conflicts between his 

two executive officers. Realistically, this is not 

new for t here generally has been a subtle con­

flict between these two majors on the battalion 

staff. However, I believe the nature and magni­

tude of staff actions/decisions at the battalion level are not so complicated that the battalion 

commander will be capable of resol ving after 

receiving professiona l r ecom m endat ions from 

his two XOs . 

I recommend engineer batta lion commanders use the f lexibility gi ven in paragraph 3-14, FM 101-5, whi ch states " The TOE for each 

type of unit specifies t he unit's staff organization and composition. However, with in authorized personnel limitations, t he unit commander may organize his staff in accordance 

with his part icular needs :" Personally, I can't 

wait to put this organizational concept into 

effect ! 

MAJ VICTOR O. DEWEY 

HQ, Central Treaty Organization, 

Ankara, Turkey 

. The US Army Engineer 

School initiated a proposal to 

establish a MOS for Engineer ENGINEER T r a c k ed Vehicle Crewman (M OS 12F) . Crews of the fol - TRACKED 

lowing items of equipment wil l 

be affected: Combat Engineer VEHICLE 

Vehicle (CEV), Armored Vehi­

cle Launched Bridge (AVLB), CR EWMAN 

and Armored Personnel Car­

rier (APC) in Engineer units. MOS 12F 

The proposal is currently
 

being coordinated with m a jor
 

com m ands (MACOM) and be­
 ing considered by the Depart­


ment of the Army (DA) .
 To date, US Army Military
 

Personnel Center (MI LPER­
 CEN) has given " tentati ve
 

concurr ence to the proposal to
 

facilitate planning act iv ities. A
 

final decision is expected in
 

April 1978.
 

3 
L I EUTE N ANT COLON E LS: 

ABOUT BECOMING AN 0-6 

First: Congratulat ions to each officer recently selected for promotion to Colonel, AUS . We wish 

the best to each of you! 

Second : Pub licati on of promotion lists usua lly causes those of us still looking ahead to ponder 

over the " key to success:' Most of us manage to come up with some type of perception as to just 

what w e shou ld do and where we should do it. Frank ly, after reviewing the career patterns of the 

selected officers, it is clear that there are as many paths to success as there are officers who are 

successful. The trends on career patterns that do exist for the selected officers are noted briefly 

below. 

• Each and every job, regardless of where it is or what it is, is performed in an outstanding 

manner. Boards seem to recognize that officers can't always govern what job they have - only how 

well they do the job. 

• A clear pattern of seeking responsibility is evidenced. The officers who, at any job, grab the 

ba ll and run with it, do emerge and their files will show it. 

• Successful officers make certain th ey complete the highest level of military schooling possible. 

If not selected to attend a course they enroll in nonresident instruction - they do not wait for the 

chance to pass them by . 

• Success can come to an Engineer through the development of a strong alternate specialty as 

well as by following the traditional command path. aPMS is working and will no doubt be playing an 

even more important role in the future. 

Third: If you want to discuss the above in more detail, and how it applies to your individual 

situation, please call or w rite your assignment officer. 

4 
MAJO RS: 

GENERA L 

1. Current and good photographs, preference sta tements and acc ura te data on your record brief 

are very important documents in your official and career management f il es. Of special inter est is a 

current physical with the date and profile entered on the OR B. If you failed to take a physical on t he 

proper date (age 31,35,39,41,43 ...) you should get a physical on th e nex t correct date ev en though 

it has only been one or two years. 

2. Current Army policy is to keep CONUS-to-CONUS moves down to a minimum. Pr iority 

requirements (Washi ngton ar ea, Army Readiness Regions, ROTC/USMA) are filled by CONUS-toCONUS moves in some cases. Otherwise, a move is made only from "must move" positions ( CGSC, 

completion of 3 years in ROTC, USMA and ARRS, 4 years on the DA Staff, completion of an over seas 

tour, etc). 

3. If you have not submitted a preference statement or the one on file is outdated, an assum ption 

is made that you have no firm preferences. Attempts are made to telephone each officer before 

assignment, however, it is not always possi ble to track down ever yone's telephone number . You 

should submit a preference statement approx imately nine months before com pleting your current 

tour ; include your duty te lephone number. 

CGSC 

Congr at ulat ions to those of you that were selected for CGSC level schooling. The compet it ion was 

keen. 

• 

CAPTAINS: 

GRADUAT E CI V IL SCHOOLI NG: 

1. Selection to attend graduate civil schooling is hi ghly competitive. In addition to the eligibil ity 

criteria outlined in AR 621-1, an officer must also possess the following general qualifications : 

• Completion of the Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses. 

• An outstanding record of performance in the troop environment, to include successful com pany 

command. 

2. Graduate study is limited to academic disciplines for which the Army has validated 

educational requirements. For Engineer Officers, those academic disciplines currently available for 

gradute study are generally limited to: 

• Civil Engineering 

• Topographic Sciences (includes Geodesy and Photogrammetry) 

• Nuclear Physics/Nuclear Effects (supports an alternate specialty) 

• Operations Research and Systems Analysis (supports an alternate specialty) 

• Automatic Data Processing (supports an alternate specialty) 

COMPANY COMMAND: 

1. Ideally, an officer should serve 15-18 months continuously as a company commander. 

Company command tours can be longer or shorter than this period depending on the needs and 

desires of the local commander. Engineer Branch policy is that an officer should serve at least 12 

months of continuous company command to adequately demonstrate his ability to lead and manage 

troops. In a 12-month period, a company commander should face the normal cyclical challenges ­

ARTE P, AG I, etc. 

2. Because opportunities for command are dependent upon the variety of Engineer units and 

conditions within a command, Engineer Branch philosophy is "Command is Command" and no 

special emphasis is given to the type of unit commanded nor to the location of the command. 

Primary emphasis is given to the manner of performance of the officer as a company commander. 

5 
L IEUTENANTS: 

REMI NDE R : Upon pr omotion to First lieutenant , you ow e MILPERCEN a~ ff ~ial photo (A R 

640-30). Your official photo provid es the "first look" at you by any D~ Board so ~t IS Impor tant t hat 

your appearance (uniform, persona l groom ing, awards an d decor at ions) be at Its best. 

WA R RANT OF FICERS: 

APPOINTMENT VACANCI ES ANNOUNC ED. Wat ch fo r two new c!rculars th at were recently 

distributed to t he field. DA Circular 601-73 outlines th e FY 78 warrant officer procurem ent. progra m , 

lists the spec ia lt ies (M OS) in which vacancies are anticipated, gives pr oc d~ral Uldan~e fo r 

subm itt ing appl icat ions fo r initial ap pointment and/or call to actl ~e duty .. Potential WO app ll~an

and th eir counselors w ill find thi s circular a com pendium of useful information: For warrant officer s 

now on active duty, DA Circula r 601 -72 outl ines th e Regular Army WO accessron program for .FY 78 

and lists th e MOS that are open to applicants seeking integration into the Regular Army ..In view of 

the pending abolition of the M anaged Tenure Program , all nonregu.lar. warrant officer s who 

contem plate fili ng an applicat ion f or RA appointment should consult thi s circular. 

FOR ALL:
 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPME NT: 

Since implementat ion of the dual-specialty Officer Personnel Managem ent System (OPMS) 

con cep t began in November 1975, refinement of th e system has continued in an effor t to ach ieve the 

goa l of developing th e right number of officers w ith the r ight skills to m eet curren t and f ut ure Army 

requirements. 

This goal wil l be m et only through concent rated effort and innovative programs since the 

professiona l development of officers - the development of professiona l attr ibu tes and abi liti.es to 

meet the Arm y's needs through planned assignments and schooling - in a peacetim e environment 

will be influenced strongly by fisca l const r ai nts . M ILPERCEN's Off icer Personnel Managem ent 

Directorate (OPM D) is assessing and assi gning officer s in accordance with t he OPMS dual-specialty 

phi loso phy to meet fi eld requirem ents - and in a manner that supports t he pr ofessional devel opm ent 

of individual officer s. 

The field commander, however makes t he fi na l assignment and supe r vises the per fo r mance of 

officer s assigned to his units. Thus, com mander s have a key ro le in th e pr ofessiona l development of 

their assigned officers. 

Com m anders at all levels should become thoroughly familiar with DA Pamphlet 600-3, Officer 

Professional Developm ent and Utilization, dated September 1977. This pamphlet describes OPMS 

ph i losophy and management practices and lists the elements of officer pr ofessional development. A 

professional development guide has been prepared for each specialty depicting developmental 

phases, illustrative assignment opportunities and professional education oppor tunit ies. Also incl uded 

are commanders' res ponsibilities for ensuring ma x imum contribution from th eir off icers w hi le 

affording them adequate opportunity for continued profess iona l development. The need for specialty 

developm ent of assigned officers, parti cularly at t he com pany grade level, is critical. Insofar as 

possible, MI L PERCEN assi gns an officer to a location where he will have an opportunity to develop 

expert ise and beco me qualified in his primar y specialty. However, the way commanders utilize their 

per sonnel assets has a significant effect on specia lty developm ent. Educat ion, another principal 

6 
ingredient of professiona l develooment. is a contin uina orocess and is not limited to the formal school 

environment . Althoug h PCS constra ints affect educational opportunity, progressional growth and 

k now ledge are atta inable t hrough non-resident inst r uction, on-th e-j ob tra ining and individual stud y. 

There are num erous courses th at support Army requirements and th e needs and desires of indiv idua l 

officers. Th e officer professional education system is designed to per m it officer s to build upon 

achievements and experience. Ther e are diverse paths to an education and no tw o indiv idua ls need 

follow the same path ; even if they have the same specialties. 

Educational counseling is available from professional development officers at MI L PE RCEN, 

loca l education centers, or ser v ice schools. Commanders should encourage t heir officers to continue 

t heir educat ional growt h. 

Stability gu id elines limit HQDA's abil ity to program in detail the requisite assignm ents and 

schooling to qualify all com pany grade officers in a primar y speci a lty and to begin for m ing the basis 

for qualification in a secondary specialty. Becau se a ju nior officer will seldom report to an 

assignm ent w ith all t he expertise required by t he par t icul ar duty position, commanders must become 

m ore involved in the professional development of their juni or offi cers. Th ey must provide the advice 

and counsel that will enhance career development and progression. The Ar my's need to be 

combat-ready dictates th at the professional developm ent of its officer s is keyed to ensuring t hat they 

are proper ly trained to perf orm effectively in wa r . 

Engineer Personnel Management Contacts in OPMD: 

Colonels Di vision ( DAPC-OPC-A E)
 

Engineer Assignments, LTC Lin Lufkin, x7871
 

Lieutenant Colonels Division ( DAPC-OPL-AS )
 

Engineer Assignments, LTC Thomas Fisher, x0423
 

Ma jors Division ( DA PC-OPM- A)
 

Engineer Assignments, MAJ Gary Woodham x8109
 

- Combat Support Arms Division (DA PC-OPF- E) (Company Grade )
 

Eng ineer Bra nch Chief, LTC Nor man Kuklinski, x0650
 

CPT Assi gnments, MAJ Mike Foster, x0651
 

LTC Assi gn ments, CPT Matt Dominy, x7434
 

- Warrant Officers Division (DAPC-O PW-AU)
 

Engineer Assignments, CW3 Frank Russell, x7837
 

NOT E: .. Au tovon li ne: Li sted number preceded by 221­

If you can not call, please write to th e foll owi ng address:
 

Com mander
 

US Army Military Perso nne l Center
 

ATTN : (appropriate office sym bol)
 

200 Stovall Street
 

Alexandria, Virginia 22332
 

7 
WhiehWay
 

ers'l 

COL Thorwald R. Peterson 

The United States Army today faces a different 

challenge than it did just a short time ago. The 

change came rapidly on the heels of several events. 

First. military involvement ended in Vietnam; it 

had been an expansive effort that demanded our 

concentra tion and commitment. Second was the 

October, 1973, war in the Middle East. Though 

dramatically short and of local significance, that 

intense, exhausting conflict jolted the world into a 

realization of the nature of modern war, especially 

its devastating cost in tanks, planes and other 

material paid at a breathtaking rate. Third, 

perhaps most pertinent, the Soviet Union and its 

Warsaw allies have been relentlessly increasing 

their capacity to wage modern, mechanized land 

warfare. 

The times have called for a new look at: 

•	 What we expect to meet on the next battlefield? 

•	 How we can overcome the challenge and win 

there? 

•	 Which means of preparation are most enabling? 

The whole Army is concerned with these questions. We have seen that weapons and machines of 

the past are inadequate to the task. Our enemy 

will be larger than we in number, and his new 

equipment, increasingly powerful, ever more effective. Our current tactics and techniques are being 

reassessed. We are reemphasizing that which 

continues to contribute, discarding the outmoded, 

and adopting the necessary changes to prepare our 

Army to fight and win in this new arena. Our 

objective is to "win the first battle:' particularly 

the first battle in Europe against a technically 

8 

capable and highly mechanized enemy. The former 

strategy of gearing up for the struggle is passed. 

for the fight may be over before we've coined the 

rallying slogan. The Army must be ready to win 

the initial engagement, and not look forward to a 

"turning point" sometime in the midst of the third 

campaign. 

As part of the combat arms team, Engineers 

playa role essential to success - a role that has 

increased in importance and emphasis in response 

to the very nature of the overall challenge. That 

role is knowledge of and reinforcement of terrain, 

to our advantage and to the disadvantage of the 

enemy. Our contribution to winning the first and 

subsequent battles is found in our three key 

mission capabilities; mobility, countermobility, and 

survivability. Our arm will see more significant 

changes in doctrine, equipment, and organization 

over the next decade than in most other systems of 

the Army. We have embarked on a new direction 

over a very broad front. The Engineers' first How 

to Fight Manual 5-100 (Engineer Combat Operations) which was recently distributed to the field 

shows the direction in which we are moving. Our 

goal is a greater contribution to the Combined 

Arms Team through the recognition of and by 

capitalizing on visible trends: 

• Increased	 capability and survivability of 

Engineer construction equipment. 

• Improved mobility	 commensurate with maneuver elements. 

• Significantly increased rate of dispensing and 

clearing mines by division resources. 

• Concentration	 forward in the main battle 

area. 
EARTH MOVING CAPABILITY
 

e 

u 

MOBILITY OF ENGINEER UNITS
 

We can move earth today much faster than 

previously. This indicates our rising ability to 

dig -in the divisional weapons systems, thereby 

enhancing survival of maneuver elements. 

Mobility, too, is on the upswing. New developments will soon allow Engineers to move and fight 

side by side with other arms. 

Perhaps the most striking progress will come in 

mine laying and minefield clearing. Whereas hand 

dispensing conventionally required large commitments of time and manpower and transportation, 

new mechanical and firepower delivery systems 

will cut these requirements dramatically. It used 

to take an Engineer company, for example, about 

eight hours to lay a minefield. 250 by 350 meters. 

New methods will reduce the time to minutes and 

the effor t to that of one or two small crews. 

Engineers will becom e increasingly "doers;' not 

just advisors for mine warfare. 

There is a conscious effort modifying doctrine 

and organization to get more Engineers forward in 

order to increase immediate and local participation 

in the combat arms team. Greater forward concentration and normal association between engineer 

and maneuver units will enhance friendly mobility, 

counter enemy mobility more effectively and increase survivability of our forces. 

The Engineer School is the primary source of 

direction for these needed new initiatives. The 

School 

•	 Develops Engineer weapons systems, the 

tactics and techniques to use them, and the 

organization to accommodate them. 

• Evolves doctrine for	 the best employment of 

Engineer resources in battle. 

•	 Generates skillful soldiers and fosters high 

standards of performance throughout the 

U. S. Army by designing, implementing, disseminating, and evaluating Engineer training 

wherever Engineers serve. The School produces its own tools for this task including 

courses, manuals. training techniques, and 

performance tests - for export to the field as 

well as institutional use. 

thr~e functions interrelate continuously. It 

IS impossible, for example, to introduce new 

equipment into the Army without a careful development of the training. both individual and 

collective, required by the soldiers and units who 

will employ it. Similarly, there must be a concept 

that envisions how it enhances accomplishment of 

the mission and techniques by which it best serves. 

These constitute doctrine. That all three activities 

are pursued at Fort Belvoir is no accident. Collocation in an atmosphere of community effort 

promotes efficiency in the process and a mutually 

supportive harmony in the design of the whole. 

r? keeping with the tempo of the times, the 

E~gmeer .School today is a scene of great activity. 

It IS fully mvolved. The School's efforts are not on 

an ~solated t~ngent, but according to the larger 

design established by TRADOC. A dynamism is at 

work. The motivation derives from the same 

source: the need to get ready, to get Engineers 

ready throughout the Army for the next battle 

which we 'Will win. 

All engineers whether in CONUS. USAREUR, 

Korea, or at any other of our far flung locations 

must do their part. The next few years are 

critical. 

Colonel Thorwald R. Peterson presently is 

assigned as Dire ctor, Directorate of Combat Developments, US Army Engineer S chool, Fort 

Belvoir, VA . His pre vious assignments were 

District Engineer, St Louis, Assistant Professor of 

Civil Engineering, US Military Academy. COL. 

Peterson is a graduate of West Point, he holds a 

Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering and 

Administration. 

9 
Bridge
 

SUbmi tted by M ERADCOM'$ Marine & Bridge Laboratory 

One item in the Army's inventory of engineer 

equipment has been with us so long that we look 

upon it almost as a member of the family, or at 

least a very old friend. This item is, of course, the 

27-foot Bridge Erection Boat. But, alas, as with all 

things, the expanding technologies and ever 

greater requirements dictate that the old move 

over and make way for the new. Although it has 

been an extremely dependable item, the Bridge 

Erection Boat is tethering on the brink of oblivion. 

This is brought about because of its excessive 

10 

Figure 1 

draft, its high cost and being very difficult to produce. The 27-foot Bridge Erection Boat, composed 

of two sections (Figure 1), was developed and introduced into the Army supply system in the early 

1950's. High strength weldable aluminum alloys 

had not yet been introduced when this item was 

designed; therefore, the boat utilized thousands of 

rivets in its construction which made it very difficult to automate because of its complicte configuration, and was very expensive to build. At the 

time, 21/don trucks were used in the bridge 
companies which brought about the two-piece boat 

configur ation because of weigh t limitations; this 

also added to the manufacturing costs. In addition 

to the above, the new Ribbon Bridge has a very 

shallow draft in the water and this just about dictate s the demise of th e old boat. The boat's configuration, coupled with its complicated tunnel 

arrangement s, skegs for rudder supports. propeller protection, etc. gives th e 27-foot boat a draft of 

approximately 42 inches. When we consider that 

the new Ribbon Bridge has an unloaded draft of 

only 5 inches, we can appreciate how the boat 

detracts fr om t he bridge' s maximum potential. 

In May 1975, a project was initiated to come up 

with a new boat which would be compatible with 

t he Ribbon Bridge. It was specified that the new 

boat shall be a standar d commercial or a modified 

commercial it em. Numerous standard boat s of 

other NATO nations had been t ested; none had 

been found satisfactory to fully meet the require1. 

-­

Figure 2 
ments. It was determined that two types of boats driven boat is shown in Figure 2 and the water-Jet 

had good potential for meeting the requirements; 

these being water-jet propelled for one and 

standard shallow draft propeller-driven for the 

ot hr-r. We decided to procure test items of each 

type and run tests to determine their adequacy. 

We finalized very rigid requirements for the boats 

and prepared the works and services to go out on 

contract for the two types of boats. The boats 

were fabricated by the contractors and the first 

articles were received in June 1977 and delivered 

to TECOM for development tests. The propeller12 

propelled boat is shown in Figure 3. The boats will 

be tested by the US Army Test and Evaluation 

Command and the user. Tests will be carried out 

at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Belvoir, VA 

for slow water use and then the boats will be 

shipped to a site on the Missouri River at Granite 

City, IL, for fast water tests. These tests are 

scheduled to be completed in April 1978. 

Assuming the new boats prove successful and 

superior to the old boats, type classification (Tel 

will be accomplished 2d Quarter Fiscal Year 1978. 
1 

N 

I I I 

o lOOOM 3 0 0 0 M 

Com-om Im-ERVAL- 1 0 f'1ETERs 

.., /\

\ './ ,,' I 

\ OPFOR , 

\ I 

\ J 

\ I 

, I 

~J L;

, , v 

TACTICA L PROBLEM 

You are the platoon leader from the divisional engineer battalion (mechanized ) in direct support 

of a mechanized infantry heavy task force. The task force has been organized into three company 

teams with a mix of tanks and TOW missile systems. The task force has been given a defend in 

sector mision. par t of which is shown on the sketch map (Figure 1). Intelligence estimates predict an 

attack by an OPFOR motorized rifle regiment in six hours. The task force commander has directed 

you to concentrate your efforts on counter m obility tasks in support of his weapons systems, TOW ­

range - 3000 m. Tank ra nge approx. 2000 rn. DR AGON range - 1000 m . 

The terrain in the task force sector is wooded and the REISART River is 60 meters wide, 3.2 

meters deep and flows at 3 meters/second. 

Your available equipment and resources include: 

• Two medium dozers and two 2112 cubic yard bucket loaders, capable of digging two hundred 

meters of antitank ditch in one hour, when working as two teams. 

• One M -57 mine dispensing system, ca pable of laying four hundred meters of antitank minefield 

in one platoon hour. 

• Sufficient demolitions for one each two-lane bridge in two squad hours, and one road crater in 

two squad hours. 

• Sixteen battery volleys of 155mm artillery delivered antitank mines (each two volleys can 

create	 a minefield 250m by 350m). 

What obstacle would you recommend to the task force commander? (Answer on Page 28) 

13 
Counseling
 

1 

) 

Chaplain John H. Reed 

Problem: How can professional engineers with 

training in the techniques and philosophy of counseling be effective counselors? 

Solution:	 The following three suggestions will give 

you the keys to "effective counseling:' 

First:	 You must understand the role of a 

counselor. A counselor is not a person 

who has the responsibility of solving his 

client's problems! Rather, a counselor is 

a catalyst. He is that kind of person who 

will cause a reaction in the oth er person's mind and emotions so the latter 

can take the necessary action and resolve the conflict. What are the characteristics of the counselor who can be 

a positive catalyst causing constructive 

response? The characteristics are: being 

accepting, understanding, objective, and 

secure within oneself, being a good 

listener, being a person who can con14 
front the client with reality, declare his 

own values without imposing them on 

the client. and able to establish rapport 

and maintain it throughout the relationship. The key area is that th e client 

must solve his own problem, using his 

own resources. The counselor, acting as 

friend and catalyst can help the client in 

this process. 

Second:	 Every counselor should have a basic 

strategy or goal in mind when a person 

comes to him for assistance. The 

strategy I have found workable is fourfold: (1) Determine the core problem. 

This is about 80% of the work of a counselor. Once you have identified and 

focused upon the root problem, then 

you can proceed with the other three 

steps. To determine the core problem, 

the best technique is the use of listening 

skills, i.e. the use of open-ended questions (designed to draw out the person) 

and the use of reflection te chniques of 

content and feelings. The reflection 

technique enables the client to verbalize 

the situation and his resultant feelings 

which need to be expressed. (2) You 

are then in the position to problem solve 

by explaining the variety of alternatives 

open for resolving the conflict. It is 

important that you look at the alternative courses of action together, but allow 

the client to make the decision. There 

will be times when a client will choose 

a course of action in which you will not 

agree. At this point you must be willing 

to let your client have the freedom to 

fail, provided the action is not detrimental to his health or that of others. 

(3) The third step is one of commitment 

to the course of action he has chosen. 

These actions should be specific and 

attainable. Not only does this commitment put the person into the active role 

of working out his problem, but it also 

reinforces the fact that he alone has the 

responsibility for his actions. He will 

have to live with th e consequences of 

his action, whether good or bad. As the 

client leav es your counseling session 

he should be aware of three things: the 

core problem, the specific course of 

action he has selected from a variety of 

alternatives, and that he is responsible 

for his actions. He should also know and 

feel that you are always ready to help 

him further - whether it means changing to a different course of action, or 

reinforcing the one he has chosen. Moreover, he should know that you hold him 

responsible for all of his behavior. (4) 

The fourth step is the follow-through. 

Make another appointment with the 

client after a reasonable amount of time 

for checking on his progress. This gives 

the client the feeling that you are 

genuinely interested in him, and it also 

provides him some external motivation 

to work on his commitment. 

Third: The effective counselor knows his limitations. None of us have the wisdom and 

and resources to handle all problems. 

You must know your limitations and be 

aware of the resources available for 

assistance. Once you have identified the 

client's problem and you feel he is going 

to need more help than you are prepared 

to give him, then refer him to a source 

which has the expertise to be of help. If 

he does not want to be referred, t hen 

you should continue to work with him 

the best you can. If he does go to the 

r eferred source, make sure you follow 

through by checking with your client and 

th e progress he is making. This gives 

him the reassurance that you are indeed 

concerned about him and you will continue to maintain that good relationship 

as his leader. An effective counselor is 

one who knows his role. has a basic 

strategy in the counseling process, and 

knows his limitations and is willing to 

get outside help when appropriate. 

These simple thoughts should give you 

direction and confidence in your role as 

counselor. 

I conclude this article with a one word concept 

re lationship! If you maintain a good working 

r elationship with those who come to you for 

assistance, you will succeed. These three steps 

only provide guidelines in the relationships you 

develop. Without a relationship of mutual trust 

and respect, the above actions will be for naught. 

Today the leader needs to be an effective counselor. It takes work, but it pays off. 

f

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15 
Bridging for
 

• 

DRY GAP 1 

SUPPORT BRIDGE I 

Sub m itted by MERADCOM' S Ma r ine & Brid g e Labor atory 

If Elliot Gould had had access to the bridges 

currently being planned for Allied use in the 

1980's, he could have kept Michael Caine and the 

British troops on time, saving Operation Market 

Garden, but forcing a change in the title of a recent 

hit movie . 

Bridging has already improved considerably 

sin ce World War II and the days of the Bailey 

Bridge, with the development by the British of the 

Medium Girder Bridge and U.S. development of 

the Mobile Assault Bridge. Scissors Bridge and 

Ribbon Bridge. Now, the U.S., West Germany and 

Britain are working together to develop a full 

family concept of standardized wet and dry gap 

and assault bridges using common components. 

American participation in the effort is the responsibility of the U.S. Army Mobility equipment 

Research and Development Command (MERADCOM), Ft. Belvoir, Va. This is the same command 

that developed the Mobile Assault, Scissors and 

Ribbon Bridges and a cable reinforcement kit for 

extending the span of th e British Medium Girder 

Bridge. 

The ba sic bridge system for the Bridging in the 

1980's program uses the same superstructure in all 

three roles and was designed at MERADCOM by 

engineers in the Command's Marine and Bridge 

Lab. Th e bridge is designed to span gaps of 30 

ASSAULT
 

BRIDGE
 

meters with the capability of being reinforced to 50 

meters by the use of a reinforcing kit and consists 

of three primary components: a seven-meter 

center section; a seven and a half-meter ramp 

section; and a one-meter connection section. 

Design ed as an integral part of the bridge 

system, the reinforcing kit is transported and 

launched with the bridge allowing rapid deployment during bridge launching. High strength 

Kevlar will be used for the tension element of the 

kit to give minimum weight and ease of handling. 

To obtain the required spans and to hold the 

weight of the bridge to a minimum, an investigation is underway on the use of an aluminum matrix 

composite material for selected structural components. These components will be incorporated 

into the system as their development progresses. 

For launcher/transporters, the same launching 

mechanism is used in all three roles. A wheeled 

chassis transporter is used in the dry and wet 

support roles and , because of the requirement for 

crew protection, an armored tracked chassis transporter will be used for the assault role . 

One transporter/launcher. wheeled or tracked. 

can transport and launch up to a 30 meter bridge. 

Bridges from 30 to 50 meters require two transporters. Spans beyond 50 meters will also require 

the use of special supports. 

16 
"' ':.~~~-~

-s: 

WETGAP SUPPORT BRIDGE 

the 1980's
 

An integral trestle-type pier is used for rapid 

construction of a dry support bridge under semiassault conditions. The pier is attached to and 

launched out at the far end of the bridge where it 

is lowered to bear on the bottom of the stream. 

The next launcher moves out over the pier and 

launches its span, completing the bridge in a leap 

fro g fashion. For more permanent support 

bridges, a pier mounted on a standard amphibious 

vehicle is used. The bridge is launched out to bear 

on the pier using the same leap frog pattern as 

with the trestle pier arrangement. Two approaches are being investigated for adding floatation components to the dry support superstructure 

for wet bridging. Only one approach will be 

selected for final development. 

In one, continuous floating supports are provided to accomplish a span similar to the Ribbon 

Bridge. Th e second approach is a float spaced at 

approximately 30 meter intervals. The dry support sup erstructure spans be tween the discrete 

floats. The bridge has a roadway width of approximately four meters and supports such heavy 

combat equipment as the M60 tank and M88 tank 

r etriever. A 30 meter dry or assault bridge can be 

er ected in three to five minutes, a 40 meter dry 

support bridge in approximately 15 minutes and a 

50 meter dry support bridge in approximately 25 

minutes. The wet support bridge can be constructed at approximately 20 feet per minute and 

is r apidly convertible to rafts. Because the system 

will vastly reduce the time and manpower required 

for bridging operations, it is intended to replace all 

existing military bridging used by troops to proassault and tactical support. 

MERADCOM, through its own in-house efforts 

and a contract with Pacific Car and Foundry of 

Renton. Wash .. is designing and building components of the system to verify the feasibility of 

certai n features prior to final development. 

The bridge has been designed and is under 

fabrication. The design of the wheeled transporter /launcher and the launching mechanism is 

essentially complete with materials being produced 

for fabrication. Projected completion for these 

components is mid-FY 78 with testing scheduled 

for completion in September 1978. Since this is , 

cooperative effort, West Germany and Britain art 

also desi gning. fabricating and testing certair. 

components . Test results from all three nations 

will be evaluate d and a decision made in April 1979 

as to which results will be used for guidance 

during final dev elopment. 

Dev elopment should start during the third 

quarter of FY 80. The system is expected to be 

operational by mid-1988. 

17 
Su b rn i t t e d by ME'<ADCOM'$ Marine & Bridge Laboratory 

From the very beginning of the use of cannon 

fire in an indirect fire mode, there has been a need 

for the gunner to know where a reference azimuth. 

In the recent past the reference, which has been 

"North;' was determined by the use of large, 

expensive, time consuming north seeking gyrocompasses. At present two contracting methods 

are used to provide the forward observer with a 

reference azimuth: the north-seeking gyrocompass 

and the lensatic compass. In the first case, time to 

obtain a stabilized azimuth and instrument cost are 

sacrificed for accuracy, while in the second case 

accuracy is sacrificed for ease in obtaining 

azimuth. The north-seeking gyrocompass provides 

heading accuracies of + .25 mils. However, when 

mounted in a tracked vehicle, movement and 

18 
possible leveling problems make its use very difficult. It takes 6 to 20 minutes of gyro stabilization 

before a reading can be obtained. The lensatic 

compass permits the user to obtain a reading 

instantly after leaving the vehicle to remove any 

vehicular magnetic biasing effects. This instant 

reading is obtained at the expense of heading 

errors of + 2 to 3 degrees and of converting the 

reading from magnetic to grid north. 

A new technique shows promise as a solution to 

requirement for speed and accuracy. This article 

presents the results of one field test relating to 

this new technique and one developmental system. 

Vehicle heading can now be obtained with speed 

and accuracy from a magnetic heading device 

called the Platform Orienting System (POS)-406 

(Figure 1), 

In January 1976, tests were conducted on the 

POS-406 mounted in an M1l3A1 armored personnel carrier (Figure 2) at Fort Hood , Texas. 

These tests were conducted by the US Army 

Engineer Topographic Laboratories (USAETL) 

with the Modern Army Selected Systems Test, 

Evaluation and Review (MASSTER) and equipment developer support. Tests were performed to 

determine th e effects of (1) variable magnetic loads 

and (2) random areas on the POS-406 accuracy. 

Essentially, the test consisted of driving an 

Ml1Al vehicle around circles 10 meters in diameter, The azimuth of the line from the center of 

anyone circle to an object approximately 10 

kilometers away was determined using a northseeking gyro compass. There was an inherent (bu 

predictable) error between measuring the azimuth 

to the distant reference object from the center of 

the circle and measuring it from a point on the 

circumference of that circle (i.e., using a theodolite 

on the vehicle top while it was at any point on the 

circumference of that circle) , This is referred to as 

the modulation error and it amounts to + 0.5 mils 

maximum. 

Due to limited available test time, test runs 

were made both day and night. At night a directional gyro, housed in the vehicle, was used as the 

reference instead of the theodolite. The gyro drift 

raft of 0.2 degrees per hour caused an insignificant 

error since the total number of readings could be 

made around most random circles typically within 

5 minutes (or an error or + 0.3 mils). 

Two types of tests were conducted: the 

variable load test and the random area tests. The 

variable load test consisted of changing the 

vehicle's magnetic loading through various configurations and measuring the heading with both 

th e POS-406 and theodolite at each 30° interval. 

Measurements were made after the following load 

changes from a normally closed vehicle: (1) ramp 

closed, (2) a roll of barbed wire added, (3) barbed 

wire removed and helmets introduced in vehicle, 

(4) helmets removed and tamp opened, and finally 

(5) ramp closed. The random area test consisted of 

determining various 10-meter diameter test circles 

at randomly located areas at Fort Hood. Heading 

measurements were taken at 3D-degree intervals 

with the POS-406, the theodolite, and the directional gyro. Data resulting from the tests is shown 

below: 

Table I. Variable Load Test Data 

Load Description Std Dev 

1 ( m i ls) 

Mean -

x ( m i l s) 

Ramp c lo sed 3.2 5.1 

Barb ed w ir e add ed 6.2 4 .6 

R e m ov e barb ed w ir e & ad d helmet s 3 .0 5.0 

R e mov e he lmets & o p en ramp 3.7 4.6 

Close r a m p 3.2 5.3 

Table II. Random Area Test 

Random Areas SId Dev Mean 

1 o ( m i ls ) ; ( m i ls ) 

U si ng theodolite as a r ef erence 

A rea 1., 2.9 5 .7 

A rea 1b 3. 3 11.5 

Using gyro as a reference 

A rt'ol 1a 3.8 7.5 

A rea 1b 4.1 8. 4 

A re a lb (repealed 1.9 5 .8 

A r ei'l 2 3.6 6.9 

R ('fprenc e circle 3.5 5.2 

Table I shows that the standard deviation 

varied from 3.0 to 6.2 mils. For all cases, with the 

exception of the added barbed wire case, the error 

is 3.7 mils or less, and if the open ramp is not 

included, the error is 3.2 mils for the 1-0 standard 

deviation. The mean error merely shows the 

misalignment of the POS-406 with the longitudinal 

axis of the vehicle and can be reduced in value by a 

later alignment or calibration. 

Table II shows the standard deviation varying 

from 1.9 to 4.1 mils for all areas. 

The time required to read the POS-406 in all 

cases was 2 to 3 seconds after the read button was 

depressed . 

The POS-406 has demonstrated sufficient speed 

and accuracy in providing vehicle heading to 

warrant its inclusion along with the gyroscopic 

north-seeker type for consideration in future 

forward observer vehicle design and development. 

19 
What's 

an Army 

Readiness 

MAJ C. J . Schexnayder 

A RM Y
 

R E A D I N E SS
 

RE G ION
 

I 

D e s
 

R E SOUR CE S
 

M A N AGE M E N T
 

I I 

I I G 10 I I 

Region • 

I I e SM I 

CG 

DEPUTY 

e G * 

I r I e of S I 1 SGS 1

I 

Des Des 

Des OP PERS

L OG IST ICS A N D A N D 

I NTEL A DM I N 

I I I I 1

MIS I SJ A I CH I I PM I I SURG I I I I

1 

GOeOM I ARCOM m I T N G D'V I lJl 

I U N ITS I I GOC OM I

"" Or-PlJ' Y r r. ,'ds" r nrnrnan d -; A R R col localed w ll h ar m y H Q 

No, it s not a Top Secret location whe re t he 

troops are kept on Red Alert for the next conflict. 

Army Readiness Regions (ARR) are extens ions of 

CONUS Army Headq ua rters (F ig 1), and its 

commande r acts as t he CONUS deput y com mande r 

for training and readiness of Reser ve Compone nt 

(RC) units withi n his region. T he ARR's came into 

being un der t he STEADFAST reor gan izati on of 

1973. Nine Re gions in the t hree US Armies, each 

«om ma ndod by a n Active Army Major Ge neral, 

were established with t he primary mission of 

impr oving RC readi ness. 

I 

M T G 

UN I TS I I I
 

Fi g . 1. 

The ARR organizatio n r eplaced most of t he RC 

adv isor system that existed befor e the '73 reorganization. Removin g most of the battalion-level 

advisors was a ve ry signific ant as pect of STEADF AST. Th e action s eems to conflict with th e 

mission to provide more "hands -on" training assistance to RC unit s. Howev er, RC unit s needed 

help in many different areas, maint enance , admi nistration, supply , training of individual soldiers, 

weapons training, and tactics. The average batt alion-level adv iso r ju st did not have t he ex pe rtise 

t o give the type of help need ed in such a wide 

20 
C G 

I I 

O P O IV ADMI N DI V I I FLT DET I I 

REA DINE SS
 

COORDIN ATOR
 

I 

I 

USA R 

READINESS SE N IO R 

GROU P A OV ISO RS 

-. I I 

I U N I T B R A NCH 

A DV ISO R TE A M S Jl 1 

variety of ar eas. He would 

fields but find himself over 

oth ers. Under the Army 

Organization (Fig 2) a RC 

- I N F 

. A RM O R 

. OM 

F ig . 2 

be good in several 

his head in many 

Readiness Region 

commander has a 

complete pool of advisor tal en t in all areas which is 

located at a single source. 

So what has all this r eorganization r eally 

accomplishe d for the RC command back at his 

hom e town unit 250 miles from the nearest active 

Army post? During Active Training in 1975 th e 

eval uator for Company B, 205th Engineer Battalion 

(Const ) Louisiana Army National Guard gave t he 

unit high marks for its constr uction skills but 

qu estioned its tactical ability. On return to home 

station th e commander studied th e evaluat or 's 

comments and decided t her e were many tactical 

ar eas t he unit had not trained on in several years. 

The next quarters tr aining schedule included 

landmine warfare, obstacle construction and reconing. The next problem was who would conduct 

th e tra ining and where would the support 

materials come from? The Battalion Operation s 

and Trainin g Specialist suggested Army Readiness 

Region VII's Readiness Group, Engineer Team 

could conduct the classes. The Battalion S4 tried 

to order t he necessary practice mines and concertina wir e. No mines could be located, but enough 

wire came in for the whole battalion to train. The 

Engineer Team wa s cont acted directl y abou t the 

problem in securing mines and t hey immediately 

'. we nt to work . Drill Satur day came around and up ., dr ove t he En gineer Te am in a 21

h -ton vehicle 

loaded with eve rything necessar y for "ha nds on" 

landmine warfare training. With the team conducting the class NCO's could remain with their 

I

1
 

F U NC T ION AL I
 

TEAMS 

, - M A IN T 

- A DM I N 

- LOG 

I 

A R N G US
 

SE N IO R
 

A D V ISO RS
 

1 

I UNIT 

A DV ISORS 

sq uads and platoons instead of having to give t he 

instruction. 

Th e instruction began with a classroom orientation period. Then one platoon went out behind the 

armory and act ually laid in a minefi eld. At t he 

same time the oth er platoon was laying a minefield 

out front. After lunch t he platoons switched and 

pr acticed breaching the oth ers' field. Th e training 

was a success because unit integrity was maintai ned, th e men learned by doing and the efforts of 

Region VII's Engineer Team in locating and 

providing t he necessary mat erials, many of which 

they left with th e unit for future use . 

This RC Battalion has learned where to look or 

call for training assistance. Advice on writing new 

SOP's, help at the range during tr aining on new 

weapons, classes at the company level on maint enance , adv isors wit h active training, helping 

squad lead ers implim ent ARTEP training are just 

some of many ways Region VII's Engineer Team 

has helped the 205th Engineer Battalion, CBT 

HVY. Ar e your units putting their Readiness 

Group's teams to work? 

MA J. C. J. Schexnayder is th e S-3, 20Sth Engr. 

Bn. CE T HVY, Louisiana Army National Guard. 

He has served as a Tact ical Officer, Assistant 

Project Officer and Project Engineer both in 

CONUS and Thailand. He is a graduate of EOA C 

and C&GS, and is presently enrolled in the Air 

War College. He holds a BCE and MS degrees in 

Civil Engineering fr om Georqia Institute of Technolog y, and is a registered professional engineer in 

Louisiana. He works as an A rea Engineer with a 

Hammond , La. cons truc tion company. 

21 
ATIM
 

Lawrence P. Greyson 

Prior to the time of America's declared independence, there was little need for a school of 

enginee ring in the coloni es. The military requirements that existed, such as those during the 

French and Indian War, were met by engineers 

educated in England who served in the British 

Army or by colonists who served under them. The 

engineering needs of a civilian nature, which were 

reflective primarily of hand-craft technology, were 

met largely by ingenious or industrious men who 

were self-educated. With the beginning of war, 

however, America's r equirement for qualified engineers became critical. 

Shortly after assuming command of the continental forces on June 15, 1775. George Washington ad vised Congress that the army labored under 

numerous disadvantages, including "a Want of 

Engineers to construct proper Works and direct 

th e Men:' He continued "I can hardly express the 

Disappointment I have experienced on this Subject ; the skill of those we have being very imperfect:' Washington's concern, which he voiced 

on numerous occasions over the next few years, 

was shared by many other colonial leaders, including John Adams and Henry Knox. 

The lack of a sufficient number of engineers in 

the army persisted throughout the Revolutionary 

War, and almost all of those who served as ' engineering officers were of for eign birth and education. It was recognized that most of these men 

would return to their native countries when the 

war ended. America required engineers, not only 

for the immediate military needs, but also to meet 

the future requirements of a civilian population 

when the nation would be independent and developing. These were the conditions and sentiments of the times when the army established 

winter quarters at Valley Forge, on December 20, 

1777. 

22 

Shortly aft er encamping, Brigadier General 

Louis DuportaiJ , a French volunteer who was 

se r ving as Chief of Engineers, drew up a plan for 

the establishment of an engineering corps as a 

permanent part of the Continental army. His plan 

dated January 18, 1778, called for the formation of 

enlisted men into companies of sappers headed by 

officers, and proposed that the companies might 

serve as a school of apprenticeship for t he men. On 

January 28, Washington endorsed Duportail's plan 

and recommended to Congress that an en gineering 

department be organized. This was done by a 

Re solution of Congress on May 27, 1778, as part of 

a gener al organization plan for the army. The 

engineer ing department was established with 

three companies, each to contain 1 captain, 3 

lieutenants and 68 enlisted men, with the requiremen t that "These companies to be instructed in the 

fabrication of field works . . . The commissioned 

officers to the skilled in the necessary branches of 

mathernaticks:' 

Washington readily complied with th e resolution, st at ing in the General Orders issued at Valley 

Forge on June 9 that: 

"Thr ee Captains and nine Lieutenants ar e 

wan ted to officer the Compani es of Sappers: As 

this Corps will be a school of En gineering it 

opens a Prosp ect to such Gentlemen as ente r it 

and will pursue the necessary studies with 

diligence, of becoming Engineers and rising to 

the Imp ortant Employmen ts a tta ched to that 

Profession as the dir ection of Fortified Places 

&c. Th e Qualifications r equired of the Candidates ar e that they be Natives and hav e a 

knowledge of th e Mathernaticks and dr awin g, or 

at least be disposed to apply th emselves to those 

studies. They will give in their Names at HeadQuarters:' 

CONT IN U ED ON P AGE 24 

The need and sentiment for educating engineers in the United States was clearly present at 

this time, although almost a quarter of a century 

would pass before a formal school of engineering 

would be established. In the winter of 1778, 

General Knox, while camped at Pluckemin, N.J., 

estabished "an academy where lectures are read in 

tactics and gunnery:' For the decade following the 

end of the war in 1783, numerous people, including 

Washington, Hamilton, Randolph , Knox, Duportail, 

Baron von Steuben, L'Enfant, Benjamin Lincoln 

and Timothy Pickering, both of who served as 

Secretary of War, and numerous others, stressed 

the need for officers trained in engineering and the 

need to establish a military academy. George 

Washington, in his Presidential message of October 25, 1791, advocated the establishment of a 

military academy, which actually commenced at 

West Point in 1794. The academy, in which much 

of the instruction was devoted to fortifications, 

continued until April 1796, when a fire destroyed 

the barracks. On March 16, 1802, an Act of 

Congress stationed the Corps of Engineers at West 

Point to constitute the Military Academy, which 

has continued to the present day. The engineers 

and cadets at the Academy were made available 

for such duty and service as the President of the 

United States migh t direct, thus allowing them to 

perform works of a public as well as a military 

nature. This availability was in keeping with the 

sentiment expressed in 1800 by James McHenry, 

the Secretary of War, that "We must not conclude 

that service of the engineer is limited to constructing fortifications. This is but a single branch of the 

profession; their utility extends to almost every 

department of war; bes ides embracing whatever 

respects public buildings, roads, bridges, canals 

and all such works of a civil nature:' 

The Military Academy as originally established 

was loosely organized, operated on meager resources, and had no definite or consistent system 

of instruction, examination or length of study. It 

was only as a result of the appointment of 

Sylvanus Thayer at the time a captain in the Corps 

of Engineers, as Superintendent in 1817 that the 

academy developed. Following a trip to France to 

study its educational system, Thayer arranged the 

cadet s into four annual classes, divided the classes 

into sections requiring weekly reports, developed a 

scale of marking, attached weights to the subjects 

in the curriculum necessary for graduation, instituted a system of discipline and an honor code, and 

set a standard of high achievement. These characteristics have remained with the academy until 

the present time, and formed the pattern for 

technical education in America. 

Alden Partridge, who was the first person to 

hold the title of professor of engineering in the 

United States and served as acting Superintendent 

at West Point, resigned from the army in 1818 and 

established the American Literary, Scientific and 

Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont. This 

institution, which later became Norwich University, was the first civilian school of engineering 

in th e country. In 1824, the Rensselaer School was 

established and eleven years later granted the 

degree of civil engineer for the first time in 

America and Great Britain. 

From these initial acts, engineering education 

in the United States has grown until today there 

are almost 295,000 graduate and undergraduate 

students studying engineering on a full-time basis, 

and an additional 47,000 students studying parttime, at 289 institutions of engineering. In addition, there are some 58,000 full-time students and 

almost 20,000 students studying part-time at 119 

institutions that offer programs in engineering 

technology. 

As a single event, George Washington's call for 

a school of engineering is but a minor footnote in 

history. Taken, however, in a larger context as 

part of a continuing series of events, it is an act by 

th e Commanding General of the Continental Army 

and future first President of the United States, 

recognizing the importance of engineering education to meet the needs of an independent and 

soverign nation. The celebration of the 200th 

anniversary of the call, scheduled for June 9, 1978, 

at Valley Forge, will be formal testimony by the 

engineering profession to the foresight of George 

Washington and a reaffirmation of the continuing 

importance of engineering education to the future 

of America. 

On April 29, 1812, a Congressional Act set 

further provisions for the Military Academy, 

including establishing the position of "Professor of 

th e art of engineering in all its branches:' One of 

th e most influential persons to occupy the position 

was Dennis Hart Mahan, who was appointed in 

1832. His pioneering efforts in the preparation of 

text books on engineering subjects did much to 

break this countries dependance on the translation 

and republication of European works. 

Lawrence P. Greyson, who received a Ph .D. in 

Electrical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, is Chief of the Technological 

Applications Divisions of HEW's National Institute 

of Education. A past Vice President of ASEE and 

Vice Chairman of the Educational Activities Board 

of IEEE, he is active in applying technology, 

particularly communication satilites, to education 

as we ll as innumerous domestic and international 

aspects of enginee ring education. 

24 
BRIDGING THE GAP
 

CHAMPVA ELIGIBILITY 

About 200,000 dependents and survivors of veterans have applied for Civilian Health and Medical 

Programs of the Veterans Administration (CHAMPVA), according to VA officials. 

Similar to the DOD civilian health care program (CHAMPUS) for eligible active duty, retired 

members and their families, CHAMPVA is also a cost-sharing program. CHAMPVA pays a share of 

the usual and customary charges for approved health-care services from private physicians, 

community hospitals or other authorized providers of care. 

Eligibility for CHAMPVA is limited to spouses and children of veterans with a permanent 

service-connected total disability. Also eligible are surviving spouses and children of a veteran who 

died as a result of a permanent service-connected disability or had a permanent service-connected 

total disability at the time of death . 

Excluded from the CHAMPVA program are dependents and survivors of veterans who are 

eligible for CHAMPUS or Medicare. 

For authorized inpatient care, CHAMPVA pays 75 percent of the charges of the hospital and 

professional personnel. For outpatient care, the first $50 is paid by the beneficiary each fiscal year. 

When claims are submitted for two or more beneficiaries of a family, the deductible is $100. After the 

deductible is paid, CHAMPVA pays 75 percent of the remaining charges. The family members pays 

the balance. 

Appl ications for CHAMPVA benefits should be made to the nearest VA hospital or outpatient 

clinic. Eligible beneficiaries will be given appropriate identification and information on procedures 

for filing claims, say the VA officials. 

MORE ON OE 

Several Army groups are being studied to determine their most useful roles in Organizational 

Effectiveness (OE). DA civilians and the Reserve Components are among the groups under study. 

Recognizing that "Total Army" participation in OE programs is necessary, personnel officials 

from DA and major commands set out to lay the groundwork for that participation during a 

three-day conference here last month . 

OE, which is basically a thorough critique of a unit's mission , equipment, organization and 

people, is designed to improve these four areas and make them work together better. 

Currently, OE staff officers are Army officers who attend a 16-week course on how to make OE 

work . They're taught to recognize and recommend solutions for virtually all management problems. 

"We recognize that senior NCOs are more familiar with many NCO and enlisted areas than are 

most officers. Civilians make up one third of the Army and they're an equally important part. The 

extension of OE to the Army Reserve and National Guard forces is part .of the ' Total Army' 

program: ' a DA official explained. 

Whi Ie OE offida Is are studying the roles that NCOs, civilians and the Reserve Components 

should play, they will be looking into what training these groups should receive to fill their roles. 

Some recommendations made at the conference included special training programs that could begin 

graduating enlisted soldiers and civilian employees in about two years. 

HOME BASING: ASSIGNMENTS IN KOREA 

Some soldiers scheduled for tours in Korea will not receive homebase and advanced assignments 

prior to departure, DA officials announced. 

Since early this year soldiers in grades of E-5 to 0-5 have received assignment instructions for 

return to their current posts or to the installations where they will be assigned upon return from 

Korea . Assignments are usually made 18 to 24 months before the soldier's return from Korea. 

A Military Personnel Center (MILPERCEN) officials can no longer give advance instructions to all 

., soldiers because of changing requirements anticipated by the planned withdrawa I of most soldiers 

from Korea . 

Officials said that soldiers assigned to Korea will be able to retain military family housing as 

provided by the homebase assignment pol icy and soldiers in Korea will receive assignment 

instructions as soon as possible before returning to CONUS. 

25 
PIPELINE.
 

ITSCHN ER AND 

STURGIS AWARD 

PREPARATION FOR 

Cl\LENDAR YEA R 1977 

Now is the ti m e to star t 

plann ing and pr epar ing for the 

Itschner and Sturgis Award 

nomi nations. The Emer son C. 

Itsch ner Award is awarded by 

the Society of Amer ica n M i litary Eng in eers (SAME ) to t he 

engineer com pan y which best 

sy m bo l i zes t he character, 

m ission an d perfor mance of 

the Corps of Engineers. The 

aw ar d, pr esented annually at 

th e Eng ineer Dinner at Ft. 

Belvoir , is named in honor of 

LTG Emerson C. Itschner, a 

former Chief of Engineers and 

past president of the society . 

One of t he aims of th e awar d 

is to promote leader shi p in 

ju nior officers and to foster 

" espiri t" in company sized 

engineer units. For the purpose of t he com pet it ion, company sized units incl ude al l 

engineer numbered and letter ed or headquarters com ­

panies, sepa r ate or belonging 

to a battal ion, brigad e, group 

or la rger organ ization, and 

activated under a TOE/T DA. 

In the past, the award was 

l imited to active duty un its. In 

1974, t he compet ition was ex ­

panded, provid ing separa te 

awards for bo t h National 

Guard and Reserve Unit s. 

The Sam ue l D. Sturgis Award 

is awarded by t he (SAME) to 

an active Ar m y enl isted me m ­

ber i n r ecognition of outstanding contribution s to m ilitar y 

engineeri ng, by dem onstrated 

t echnical and leadership 

abili ty . This award is also 

presented annually at the Eng ineer Dinner in honor of LTG 

Samuel D. Stu rgi s, A former 

Chi ef of Engineers. 

For the purpose of th e com ­

pet it ion, th e individual should 

be c lassif ied in one of the fol ­

lowing career managem ent 

f ields or m il itary occupa t ional 

specia lities while perform ing 

the service for which re com ­

m ended : 12 Combat Engineer ­

ing, 35E (Speci al Electr ical 

Devices Repairm an), 51 (General En gineering), 52 ( Pow er 

Pr oduction), 62B ( En gineer 

Eq uipment Repairman), and 

81 (Topogr aphi c Eng in eer ing 

and M ap Reproduction). The 

narr at ive description should 

em phasize the ind ividuals contribtuion to mil itary engineer ­

ing . Th e ter m " m i l i ta r y 

engineer ing" may be literally 

in terpreted to include troop or 

contract construction, maintenance, fac ilit ies eng ineering, 

combat engineer in g, engineer 

tr aining, manag em ent/ super ­

vision of eng ineer activ ities, 

or other engineer support . 

Although th e desig nation of a 

sing le w inner from a field of 

hi ghly qual if ied finalists is a 

difficu lt chore at best, the 

Itschn er and Sturgis Awar d 

Selection Committee would l ike 

to see m ore units and enlisted 

members compete fo r these 

awards . The key to tur ni ng out 

a wi nner, in addition to hav ing 

the qua lif y ing credent ials, is to 

adequately docum ent t he unit's 

acti v ities and t he en listed 

mem bers contributions over 

the cours e of a given cal endar 

year. 

The ann ual presen ta ti on of 

thi s coveted awar d prov ides a 

means of revi tal izating the 

com petition and renew ing th e 

cha lleng e. How does your unit 

sta nd ag ainst th e others? You 

can f ind out in 1978. 

ASSOCIATE DEGREE 

PROGRAM 

Soldiers can now earn an 

asso ciate degr ee in management or genera l stud ies under 

a program spon sored by the 

Se r v i c e m e n ' s Op por tu n i ty 

Col lege (SOC), beginn ing t hi s 

fall. Coll ege credit fo r m i litar y 

school ing an d ex per ience and 

transfer of credit betw een 32 

coll eges are avai lable under 

th e SOC Associate Degree Program. The progra m , for ex ­

ample, gives seven credit 

hour s to an 11B10 ( Infantryman) and additiona l credit for 

higher sk i l l levels. When the 

sold ier is transferred to an ­

ot her m a jor instal lat ion, hi s 

credi ts ar e tra nsferred to a 

part icipating institut ion, all ow ­

ing hi s education to cont inue 

uni nter r upted. 

Cr edit is also given to 

soldier s fo r successful completion of College Level Examination Program (CLEP), U. S. 

Arm ed Forces Inst it u t e 

( USA F I) and Defense Act iv ity 

fo r Non -T r ad i ti ona l Ed ucat ional Su ppor t ( D A NT E S) 

cour ses. 

An associates degr ee is availab le by com plet ing a maxim um of 65 semeste r hours . No 

mo r e tha n 15 sem ester hour s 

need to be com pleted by attendi ng on-cam pus courses. 

Tuit ion assistance, f inancing 

75 percent of educat ion costs, is 

avai lable th r ough edu cation 

center s and 100 per cent f inanc ­ I 

ing is avail abl e to qualified G I 

Bill r ecipients. 

26 
1PELINE.
 

ON-DUTY HIGH 

SCHOOL STUDY AXED 

Ar my funding and use of 

duty time for high school education ended on Sept . 30 for 

most soldiers. 

As a result of Congressional 

directives, the Armed Forces 

can no longer fund or provide 

authorized absence to attend 

educationa I courses not related 

to job skills. 

Off-duty funding of hi gh 

school programs w ill continue 

after the September 30 deadline for soldiers outside of the 

U. S. and f or those who entered 

the Army in 1977 and are enrolled in t he Veterans Educat ion Assistance Pr og r am. 

Eligible soldiers w ho entered 

the Army before 1977 may pay 

for high school or college study 

with the GI Bill. 

Last year, 65,000 soldier s 

were enroll ed in on-duty high 

school education programs. 

But as a result of Congressional 

guidelines, on ly job sk illrelated courses may be funded 

during dut y hours . The Congressi ona l g u ida nce al so 

directed a review of Arm y 

policies which r estrict pr omotions above th e grade of E4 to 

persons without high school 

educations . 

GI BILL: T UTORS 

Un cle Sam is in t he tutoring 

business, the Veter an s Administrat ion rem inds ve terans enrolled in col lege under the GI 

BiII. 

Wi th out be ing ch a r ge d 

aga inst th e vetera n' s basi c 

educational entitl ement, free 

tu toring help is ava i lable to 

make sure veter ans get t he 

most from their college training, VA officials sai d. 

The government did not pay 

for tu tor ial ass istance for 

Wor ld War II and Korean conflic t veterans , bu t under 

present law VA wil l pay as 

much as $65 a month for such 

help up to a maximum of $780. 

Tu torial benefits are not only 

available to veterans and ac ­

tive duty service members who 

ar e studying under the VA's 

Depe ndents' Ed ucat ional Assistance Program, but also to 

w idows, w idower s, spouses and 

ch ildren. 

Eligibility depends upon the 

amount of time school is attended and if t hose veterans 

and service members attending school have a deficiency in 

a sub ject required in an approved program of education, 

VA offic ials said. 

Applications should be made 

on VA Form 22-19904 within a 

year of t he tutoring and should 

be submitted to the VA regional office which mainta ins 

the veteran's clai m fo lder. 

App lic at ions should be certified 

by the school . 

JOB BOOKS 

Certa in soldi er supervisors 

will be getting th eir first look 

at the U. S. Army's Job Books 

thi s mont h, report U.S. Arm y 

Training and Doctrine Com ­

mand officia ls. The book s are 

designed to fit thei r specific job 

specialties . 

Th e Job Books hi tting t he 

fi eld are the fi rs t of 400 different manua ls cover ing 35 

career management fields. 

Th ey are for Armored Reco nnaissance Speci a l ists, Ar m or 

Crewmen and Fiel d Artillery 

Cann oneers. 

Job Books w ill allow supervisors to make frequent checks 

on t he individual soldier's proficiency . They cover crit ical 

tas ks in both job specialty as 

w ell as th ose skills needed for 

battlefield survival. 

Supervi sors are encouraged 

to use Job Books as they become ava i lable during lulls in 

training and daily wor k , 

TRADOC officials noted. Com ­

manders, super v i sor s and, 

most of all , the individua l 

soldiers benefit from its regular use. 

LEADERSHIP COURSE 

A Primary Leadership 

Course ( P LC) has been developed for E-4s and E-5s in 

non -com bat MOSs. 

The PLC, des igned to train 

jun ior enl isted sol dier s in com ­

bat suppor t and combat service 

support leader ship and supervisory sk i lls, will be taught at 

major inst allat ions beginning in 

January 1978 with some courses 

not starting until March. 

The resident courses will last 

thr ee to fo ur weeks, depending 

on local policy . Other non ­

r esiden t, self- paced courses for 

Guardsmen and Army Reser ­

v ist s will be available late next 

year. 

Th e PLC, developed by t he 

Army Administration Center, 

is equivalent to the combat 

ar m s Basic NCO Course and 

the Primary NCO Course. PLC 

is the first suc h course being 

offer ed to non-combat arms 

troops since most NCO Academ ies w er e closed to support 

personn el several years ago. 

PLC w ill a lso be accompanied by promotion points 

upon graduation. 

27 
Contour interva l - 10 meters 

Fi g . 2 

o 1000 2000 3000 

1 

N 

F ig . 3 

1 

N 

SOLUTION TO TACTICAL PROBLEM 

Th e ex ist ing obstacle of t he river, since it cannot be forded without snor ke l ki ts, wi ll can a lize t he
 

enemy into th e task force comman ders proposed engagement areas. This must be assur ed by
 

destroying t he bridge (target #2001) on the west boundar y with t he ex pend it ur e of two squad hours.
 

The eastern portion of the sector is the mai n tank avenue of appro ach. It must be divided into 

cells in dept h. A helpful ai d to planning obstacles is to determine th e fiel ds of fire of t he an t itan k 

weapons in each battle position (Figure #2). Obstacles should t hen be placed 200-300 meters inside 

the maximum effective range of these wea pons. This wi ll max im ize the combat m ultiplier of our 

weapons sys tems an d increase our survivability. The commander will place less DRAGONS and 

more Ta nks in Team B sector; and more D RAGONS and less Tanks in Team A sector. The TOW can 

be used to good ad van ta ge in both sectors. Obstacles have been placed within th e platoon's 

capability in Figure 3. A total of 18 squad hours is ava il able. Th e bulk of this effort supports the 

init ia l positions and initial killing zone. Th e latter can al so be supported by Team B's first al ternate 

position, number 13. The in itial road crater (2002) forces the OP FOR off the road and is within TOW 

range of position A and B (2 squ ad hou rs to construct). Two 800m minef ields (#2003 and #2004) (two 

platoon hours each), are within tank gu n and TOW ra nges of posit ions A, Band 13, a tan k ditch 

(#2005) will consume th e avai lable equipment hours. If possible, point minefields shou ld be placed by 

the infantry around th e tank ditch w it h the engineers providing technical assistance (1 NCO). The 

same unit could also provide local security during th e actual digging of the antitank ditch. Four 

8-volley artillery delivered minefields are planned. Only two of these can be used, or all four at a 

lower density (4-volley) . They add depth, support the weapon systems, and prevent the OPFOR from 

by -passing our other obstacles if their limits become known. All are placed approximately w ithin the 

f ields of fire of one or more of t he t hree weapon systems and battle positions. When the company 

team s must move to alternate positions, ad dit iona l obstacles will have to be constructed with new or 

existing assets. All del ays on th e road and in the open terrain keep the enemy longer in our gunner s ! 

"windows" thus in creasing the attrition rate of the enemy. The decrease in the enemy's mobility 

also enhances friendly survivability to the maximum. 

28 
Brigadier ~eneral John W. Barlow was born in New York June 26, 1838. He was graduated from US 

Military Academy, Class 1861. He was first commissioned in the Artillery, but transferred to the 

Engineers in July 1862. 

He served throughout the Civil War and was brevetted a Lieutenant Colonel for his gallant service in 

the Battle of Nashville, December 1864. 

From 1870 until 1874 he was General Sheridan's Chief Engineer in the Military District of Missouri. 

During this period he made scientific explorations of the headwaters of the Missouri and Yellowstone. His 

detailed reports became guides for explorers. 

Barlow's civil works activities extended throughout the United States until May 2, 1901 when he was 

commissioned Brigadier General and appointed Chief of Engineers. The next day May 3, 1901, he retired 

from the Army after 40 years of service. 

He died February 27, 1914, at Jerusalem, Palestine at the age of 75. 

EDWARD B. RUSSELL 

Curator 

US Army Engineer Museum 

29