An Officer.......

BINGO. Got a hit. There is an I.E. Biggs listed (496 squadron) of Silbee
Texas. Now I gota check where and how he is now. Get back to you. I dont
want
post his address but if you want it lemme know and I will e-mail it to you.

That's gotta be the guy. I sincerely hope his health has improved since the
last time I saw him in San Marcos.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.

Subject: An Officer.......
From: nt (Krztalizer)
Date: 2/22/04 11:16 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

BINGO. Got a hit. There is an I.E. Biggs listed (496 squadron) of Silbee
Texas. Now I gota check where and how he is now. Get back to you. I dont
want
post his address but if you want it lemme know and I will e-mail it to you.

That's gotta be the guy. I sincerely hope his health has improved since the
last time I saw him in San Marcos.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.



I'll check with the 344th bomb group Association and see what I can find. I
never really knew Biggs since he flew with the 496th and I flew with the 494th
squadron. We occupied opposite sides of the airfield and my only chance to meet
him would have been in the pre- mission morning briefings.. Do you know what
his MOS was; pilot, bombardier or gunner? The search goes on.




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

On 22 Feb 2004 19:22:38 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

An officer never complains.

Show me a group that isn't griping, and I'll show you a group with a
morale problem.

An officer never explains.

Show me an officer who won't explain to those he is leading the why of
the issue and I'll show you a poor leader.

And an officer never allows himself to be put on the defensive.

If you don't find yourself on the defensive occasionally, you are
little more than a caretaker and not being either innovative or
aggressive. Reaching beyond the horizon will occasionally put you on
the defensive. How you deal with it is the measure of how good you
are.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

Subject: An Officer.......
From: Ed Rasimus
Date: 2/23/04 6:51 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

On 22 Feb 2004 19:22:38 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

An officer never complains.

Show me a group that isn't griping, and I'll show you a group with a
morale problem.

An officer never explains.

Show me an officer who won't explain to those he is leading the why of
the issue and I'll show you a poor leader.

And an officer never allows himself to be put on the defensive.

If you don't find yourself on the defensive occasionally, you are
little more than a caretaker and not being either innovative or
aggressive. Reaching beyond the horizon will occasionally put you on
the defensive. How you deal with it is the measure of how good you
are.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8


We learned our jobs at a different time and in a different war. And we didn't
do all that badly in the process. I guess we learned to something right. Show
me an officer who complains and I'll show you a whining wimp. How an officer
behaves always trickles down to his men and his complaining can demoralise
troops and result in defeat. Be strong, always be strong. When an officer's
decisions are challenged by those below him explanations are signs of weakness
and make for poor leadership.
And when challenged he need only be secure in his decisions and demand his
orders be followed. That is a strong leader. Once troops qustion a leaders
decisions, he has lost both the control and faith of his troops. But I was
trained in the army. You were trained in the Air Force. That may be the
difference. No offense of course.




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

On 23 Feb 2004 15:10:55 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:


We learned our jobs at a different time and in a different war. And we didn't
do all that badly in the process. I guess we learned to something right. Show
me an officer who complains and I'll show you a whining wimp.

There is a difference between "griping"/complaining and whining.
Flying units are inherently comprised of officers, some in leadership
roles and some in subordinate positions. I'll bet there was a lot of
griping in your unit, regarding the weather, the chow, the mail, the
headshed decisions, etc. That generally isn't whining, it's healthy.

How an officer
behaves always trickles down to his men and his complaining can demoralise
troops and result in defeat. Be strong, always be strong. When an officer's
decisions are challenged by those below him explanations are signs of weakness
and make for poor leadership.

We've got a disconnect there. Strength and confidence don't equate
with arbitrariness and dictatorship. Leadership isn't simply giving
orders, it's establishing the rapport with those being led that you
know what is required. You won't get them killed and you will do the
job. You'll lead from the front and share the risk, but you won't
waste your men.

Talking with Robin Olds last spring in Las Vegas, someone mentioned a
legend about a propaganda drop of leaflets over N. Vietnam airfields
in which Robin challenged the infamous Col. Tomb to an air duel. Robin
responded quite clearly that it never happened. He then went on to
explain that his job as commander of the 8th TFW was to bring his guys
home. His task was not to gain personal glory killing MiGs in general
or Col. Tomb in particular. It was to hit the assigned targets as
efficiently as possible and take care of his men. That's leadership
and it isn't done without explaining to your men what is going on and
why.

Hard to characterize Robin Olds as "weak" in any terms.

And when challenged he need only be secure in his decisions and demand his
orders be followed. That is a strong leader. Once troops qustion a leaders
decisions, he has lost both the control and faith of his troops. But I was
trained in the army. You were trained in the Air Force. That may be the
difference. No offense of course.

I'm not suggesting toleration of insubordination. That's a whole
different ball game. I learned that the value of a subordinate comes
from being willing to question the leader. Debate, discuss, argue if
you will in the staff meeting, then when the decision is made and the
door opens come out with a solid team in support of the agreed upon
policy.

If you see significant errors in the decision, you must raise the
questions. You don't do it to demean the leader and you do it in the
appropriate venue, but you must do it. A leader who refuses to be
questioned is going to sacrifice his men and will most assuredly lose
their confidence.

Simply gaining an "A" prefix (commander) does not suddenly imbue the
holder with papal infallibility.






Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8

(ArtKramr) wrote:

[snip snippity]

Once troops qustion a leaders decisions, he has lost both the control
and faith of his troops.

Don't look now "Autocollimator," but you done lost both the control
and faith of your troops. Credibility is not unlike virginity -- you
lose it only once...

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. I am the great and
powerful OZ!"

Ed Rasimus wrote:
On 22 Feb 2004 19:22:38 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

An officer never complains.

Show me a group that isn't griping, and I'll show you a group with a
morale problem.

An officer never explains.

Show me an officer who won't explain to those he is leading the why of
the issue and I'll show you a poor leader.

And an officer never allows himself to be put on the defensive.

If you don't find yourself on the defensive occasionally, you are
little more than a caretaker and not being either innovative or
aggressive. Reaching beyond the horizon will occasionally put you on
the defensive. How you deal with it is the measure of how good you
are.

We've had our differences but, as Nappy used to say to his paramour, "Not
tonight, Josephine!". You're right on the mark, Ed. (*-*)))

George Z.

Do you know what
his MOS was; pilot, bombardier or gunner? The search goes on.

Pilot, got his B-26 start at Lake Charles, then went over to the same locations
you did, apparently. The photos he showed me of the "Flak Hotel" were at
Southport, I think.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Donate your memories - write a note on the back and send your old photos to a
reputable museum, don't take them with you when you're gone.

"ArtKramr" wrote

When an officer's decisions are challenged by those below him
explanations are signs of weakness and make for poor leadership.

That wasn't even true in WW#2. All I can say is that your unit was
really a SNAFU outfit.

In OCS we were taught that information saves lives, and creates
victories. How do you get that? You ask questions. When one of
your men challenges the plan, you listen. I've come out of the
commanders tent after hours of planning, only to be confronted by
a PFC who didn't agree with our tasking. The only reason I am
still here, is because my men challenged our orders. On the other
hand, I've listened, and I decided otherwise. Sometimes I got
casualties so heavy I doubted my decision, but once my men
agreed to go forward, we went forward, and we kept going
forward until we could no longer sustain the fight.

Cute little sayings, like you have here, are signs of immaturity.

Art, that is just BS. There are times and ways to complain. And there
are times and ways to explain to subordinates. Anybody who thinks
they are above explanations was a sorry excuse for an officer. That was
what I used to call an "Imperial Officer", one who was more aware of the
privileges of being an officer than of the responsibilities.


"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: An Officer.......
From: Ed Rasimus
Date: 2/23/04 6:51 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

On 22 Feb 2004 19:22:38 GMT, (ArtKramr) wrote:

An officer never complains.

Show me a group that isn't griping, and I'll show you a group with a
morale problem.

An officer never explains.

Show me an officer who won't explain to those he is leading the why of
the issue and I'll show you a poor leader.

And an officer never allows himself to be put on the defensive.

If you don't find yourself on the defensive occasionally, you are
little more than a caretaker and not being either innovative or
aggressive. Reaching beyond the horizon will occasionally put you on
the defensive. How you deal with it is the measure of how good you
are.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8


We learned our jobs at a different time and in a different war. And we
didn't
do all that badly in the process. I guess we learned to something right.
Show
me an officer who complains and I'll show you a whining wimp. How an
officer
behaves always trickles down to his men and his complaining can demoralise
troops and result in defeat. Be strong, always be strong. When an
officer's
decisions are challenged by those below him explanations are signs of
weakness
and make for poor leadership.
And when challenged he need only be secure in his decisions and demand his
orders be followed. That is a strong leader. Once troops qustion a leaders
decisions, he has lost both the control and faith of his troops. But I
was
trained in the army. You were trained in the Air Force. That may be the
difference. No offense of course.




Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer