I’m not sure when this program began but it was supposed to be an incentive for soldiers (us common folks) to make suggestions on how to save the U.S. government money.
If you made a suggestion that was implemented you would be paid 1% of the yearly savings to the government.
I actually had two suggestions. 1) was the prepositioning of railcars for known field exercises like Wintershield I and II. We had various maneuvers going on all year but the Wintershiled exercises were the big ones. I figured this would have saved the U.S. government almost $1,000,000 a year which we were being charged for last minute ordering of railcars. and 2) Discontinue the use of Command Diesel railcars used by the top brass. The following picture is a tank being positioned on a railcar:
We all knew that we were going to be using 100’s of flatbed railcars to move the armored units to Grafenwohr and Hohenfels. It made sense to order these cars far in advance to save the money the bundesbahn charged us for ordering the cars at the last moment. Actually the bundesbahn prepositioned the cars themselves since they knew we were going on maneuvers so they prepositioned them in advance then charged us for ordering late! All I was trying to do was get the U.S. government to order them earlier and save the extra charges. The government answer (and the reason I didn’t get a bonus) was that if we ordered the cars early the Russians would know when we were going on field exercises. Ya Think they didn’t already know!?
My second recommendation was to get rid of the Command Diesels. These were kind of a hold over from post WWII.. These were very posh (glove leather upholstery, hand rubbed wood interiors) single and two car units. They were diesel powered and I guess if you were General Bruce Clark it was important to have this perk. They turned this idea down too by never addressing to idea.
While I was checking a rail siding north of Stuttgart a command diesel pulled in on the siding. I knew this was going to happen since there was a “Fast Freight” heading in the opposite direction and I was talking with the Captain of a unit already on the siding. His unit was being transported to Baumholder. He had no problem and understood what was happening. When the command diesel stopped and bird colonel came out of the car and was screaming at me like I was the one who made them pull off on the siding. The engineers on these posh coaches were German civilians that worked for the Bundesbahn. I’m sure the colonel screamed at the engineer and he just pointed at me.
He was chewing on A** as well as the Captain. He wanted to know why the general’s diesel had been pulled to the siding. About that time the Fast Freight went through at about 70 miles and hour. I explained that fast freights had the right of way over everything. The command diesel began to move and I suggested he get back on his car or he would hitching a ride Baumholder with the Captain. He went running back to the car and yelled that I would be hearing from him. Pompous ASS.
Needless to say I never heard from the idiot Colonel. Here I was a twenty year old E-5 and I have a 40 year old idiot colonel, who obviously isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, and he is threatening me. He, and Lt. Dunn, are one of the reasons I got out of the Army. No brain trust these two. I figured if I wanted to go anywhere in or out of the Army I had to have a formal education.
If you were in the 594th, Grenadier Kaserne or Germany feel free to leave a comment.
