European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Soldiers move out in a wedge formation White on patrol near the East West Border. Not because Hoy re Wise Guys or unfeeling he says Bui now is always new the Clang of clashing generations. History is history. The world starts when a fellow himself personally Puls on the uniform. But hey. Once you show these kids you absolutely know your Job and give a Good Damn about them you got All the respect you need. If you Don t really care if you re some Bleep Blank phony Only interested in promoting his own Lan Lastic wonderful career at their expense they see through you. I mean clean through you like a Hundred thousand candlepower xenon Searchlight through a piece of kleenex. And they got nothing or a a Young Soldier Walts went looking for smoke and found i. On his third Vietnam Lour after Hal sixth mine his tank hit he lost a lot of his hearing. High tones from this ear Low tones from this one. And the army said Well you re out of combat arms what do you wan to do now and i said Well How about i Start handing out basketballs How about i become one of those recreation specialists and the army said Well How Aboul you become a Mechanic a Mechanic i became right and other things. Currently he Heads life 3-Man Headquarters element of Fon troop which includes the motor Pool since the Border Cav is first in the line o lire in Case of War Hal Means keeping nine tanks 12 Bradley fighting vehicles five armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles ready to Tumble Iho mortar men the tank Sec lion Iho chemical warfare unit and the clerks. Bui How does old Sargo handle and discipline his Motley sometimes nol Pristine Perlecy Young troops he says scrunching around in his chair i think i need More Coffee la a not easy. Every Bonfy s an individual. I m the one who gels them up in the morning and i m the one who Puls them to bed at night. 1 guess i m one of the a dinosaurs left in the army. I still cuss a Little. In the old Days you could cuss a lot you told a Young Mother to do something and he Damn Well did it. These Days you can t Lal like Hal. These Days i m jus i Lull of cliches like. A Happy truck is a clean truck which usually gets across the message. But these Are educated kids who might ask a by is a Happy truck a clean truck the secret is. It you can communicate with a sense of humor i Ghoul getting right up in their faces your problems will be few. So you be got Lou things in perspective you can t let Little things bother you. In the Cav we have lots of humorous cliches. Like. Everyday s a Holiday and every meal s a feast " he continues reciting humorous cliches until his interviewer says Yos. He s got Iho picture adds Sarge. If they still Don l gel the message i loll them about the most powerful Lorca in the universe my u s. Government skin Craft pen. I threaten to write them up with it. Put them Down on paper. Because today s army runs on paper. Before i write them up however i give them the Opportunity id Rako a lol of leaves or Point out look those skid Marks did t come on those toilet seals you gotta clean Thorn Hose the whole thing Down i usually help them though even in i toll them logo clean the latrine i la help them " the sex Comba Sarge says he spends a huge amount of Lima in his Modem army saying come to daddy just counselling his Young troopers so Many have family problems 1 spend much More Lima counselling married soldiers Man single soldiers Back in the old Days i think Aboul 5 percent of the army was married now it s closer to 55 percent i have to Tell them straight out look i Hope you be got a realty solid Amity. Because this Cav is one Lough tour. We spend 760 Days a year in he yield. Maybe you Don t Nood your Amity Over Here Sarge goos Oil grabs another cup of Coffee and comes Back laughing of course As a marriage Counselor. I have Ole them right up Iron. I not Only spent three Tours in Vietnam i went through three Home front Drasler. I mean plasters in marriage so maybe to put things in perspective it would to to gel a second the Sargo puts Ihms in perspective a lol Bli i says it is the Aimy Hal has always come Lisl with him my army career. I Hung in Here right7 my marriage career urn. Well anyway with me it s always been he army through thick and thin not Many Popio like that. My family comes Lisl Thoy say my dog comes first he s nol Mafood again to grins everything s to she s in Tho so alas " Lawrence Walls says there s Ono thing thai never changes in Tho army the Holtom line on the army is always leadership h s either in Creon it Ain t with leadership you can do everything. They will follow you to hell and you Dan t oven have to pay them. Wii Houi in you can t do Beans. Today. So much of what they base rank on is How Good you look on paper. How much schooling you have. Your to scores. Not so much what you can do hands on but i guess in a non wartime situation you be got to put in in perspective you be got to base promotions on something. The beat thing about today s soldiers is. These kids can think on choir own. N the old army a Man did exactly whal he was Lold. No More no less somebody gels shot Down today another Man can jump right in and replace him. Good soldiers " but whal happens in War Breaks out what happens to the kids and the old Sarges i Don t know but in the beginning in could be like Vietnam for a while. Back Ihnn All kinds of Guys Weie getting overrun charging around with their hair on into. Gelling their bulls shot Oil nine out of 10 limes because of bad leadership suddenly it s a different army a War army no a lol of room Lor error. Back then they had to expand the army Loo fast you Hod All kinds of rank out there bul not much experience. Whal looks Good on paper Don l always look so hoi on a Ballet yield then in snarls to sort out. You gel the experience the hands on Lulf. In sorts out. The Guys who win Battles who get the Job done come out of the Woodwork. Maybe even old Bleep Blanks like me i had authorized everyone of them to Effii red. Think Aboul whal could happen if it hits the fan. Think about what we re doing and Why. I did l want soldiers to execute just what they were told to do and nothing More. So that if they ran Inlo a Brick Wall someday they would t just stand there like robots wailing for Insl a tons. And i think it s really paid Oil it seems to have. Fox troop leads the entire 11th army Cav regt in most of the criteria that determines which troop in the Cav is lops. Would the Captain a bespectacled soft spoken Almos scholarly looking fellow irom Chicago be so bold Aslo say out loud thai he has the Best Dang troop in he regiment yes " he says quietly almost clinically. I Don l think it would be an exaggeration o say Hal. When they do a Good Job i Don l keep it a secret. When they do a bad one i la Lell 1hcm How we re Gonna f i the fad is. I be never seen soldiers so smart in my seven years in the army my jeep Driver has two years of College bul even the Small esl people have problems and there s always some crisis to Deal with beyond pure soldiering he says. Telling a kid that his Mother just Gol killed in a car Accident or one who s All bus led up Over a dear John Teller. Or some Young Soldier who s going to Trie Theio or a month and his wife does t have a Job. And the kids Are screaming and Thoy Only have Twenty dollars to make it through the Mont december 18,1987 Cut Timothy tour Leaky. Troop commander. And Ihen you have to gel Mlo the minds of All your subordinate leaders and Ligure How they work. One Lesiow you just have to push buttons to get him o do his Best. Another Guy you be got to Crank. Another pull. Another Polly much let him to. He might know More than you. It s All Rifle real one thing to says Hal in t different trial can make or break an outfit can mean the Dilfer nce Boleen a unil with cohesion and Esprit and a Bunch of rag bags is the thing Hal Watts Sltes sed genuine caring Lor the soldiers you can bring a Soldier in your Olf Ico and if you Don l really give a Damn it comes i rough in the Way you look Al him Pijie Way you be Pic pared yourself to Lal Elohim you re nol kidding anyone it s Gonna come through another Ihms. You have id to comfortable with who you Are As a commander it i come to a troop and decide i m going to make my Mark and tie i he Best and impress Tho Ballarion commander by making my men do Hula hoops while holding their breath Well in might look Good on paper bul it s destroying the unit and do in the Lino i m Likely Logel Ealon up " nol easy work says Iho Young Captain especially when you consider that ultimately every decision tie makes could mean death the big Zero for his men thai does t Loox Rood on paper and it s hell on men bul wha Tominsky likes Aboul it is Inal. Finally it All Falls on rvs shoulders you can make things happen " d t. The stars and stripes Page 15
