It's not a verse in Proverbs, but I think God once said, "When you need to get something done, find an Irishman from Boston."
After Kogut and Earle left for the world, it was basically up to me and Red - a soil analyst and a heavy equipment operator- to grab the bull by the horns at the Maintenance Complex. Without us two, and George T Tompkins III (the surveyor without a clue), the 79th had no surveyors in the entire battalion, and none were on the way anytime soon. Forms had to be set everyday, and concrete had to go down everyday, lots of it!
This was when two boys who didn't even want to be in the army took charge for Uncle Sam.
Let's just get this job over and done with!
Long hard days, 7 days a week. Many times we were the only ones out there. It had to get done before winter.
We taught each other and worked together. The officers didn't have a clue how to survey. When Capt. Gay appeared he just stumbled all over the job site, tripping over shovels and forms and everything else. The guy was a health hazard to himself. He'd be booking one way for a while, then he'd do a 180 and book in the other direction and boink in to something, then he'd go back in the office. I heard he drank one of those big stainless steel tubs of coffee every morning all by himself. I don't remember that he ever said a word to us.
Did I mention that we worked together and taught each other?
Red was a real take charge guy from Boston. And we just grabbed the bull by the horns and did what had to be done. And you know something? I can't even remember the name of one sergeant on that job until Pelfry showed up several months later. If they were there, we certainly covered their asses.
I wish I could remember this guy's name. He was the best heavy equipment operator in the battalion.
We did everything.
When that scraper dropped down and that big dozer started pushing it, man did those diesel engines roar as 18 cubic yards of earth and rock was scraped up in the pan. I can hear it and smell it to this day! The 79th Engineers didn't screw around at Graf!
"Add another 8 inches for grade! We can't waist no time. Where the hell is Trenwith, we need to move that pile of dirt! OK, let's wet it down, get it compacted, shoot the grades, and set the forms. We got concrete coming in the morning boys .... Hey, bring me something to eat from the mess hall!.... Good job boys. Let's pack up and have a cold one."
