The Seventh Army CMMI Team
By Al Garrett
When the 6th of the 52d arrived in Germany in June of 1961, we were assigned to the Seventh Army, whose headquarters were in Stuttgart. We wore the Seventh Army shoulder patch on our uniforms. It was affectionately referred to as the "Seven Steps to Hell". It would be some time before we heard about the dreaded Seventh Army CMMI Team. "CMMI" stood for "Command Maintenance and Materiel Inspection".
The team was required to inspect annually each company/battery size unit assigned to the Seventh Army. All of these inspections were unannounced (No Notice) except for the very first one. So as a courtesy to the Battery Commander, Alpha Battery was given 24 hours advance notice to get ready for the first inspection. We did not know what to expect, but we worked around the clock polishing and cleaning.Our commander knew that the team was looking for unauthorized items on hand, to include excessive back-up spare parts. We had been told that the team did not care too much for spit and polish, but all vehicles better be able to travel at least 200 miles, based on the inspector's judgment. All 5-gallon gas cans better have 5 gallons of gas in them. Well, our Commander came up with a great idea. The team was to arrive at our gate at 0900R. So about 0800R we sent our nastiest looking soldier, with holes in his boots and fatigues and a greasy hat, in our nastiest deuce and a half truck, loaded with all the excess crap we had accumulated to that point. The truck was loaded down. The driver, whose name I gratefully forget, needed a shave and a haircut. The First Sergeant gave him $5.00 and told him to go to Peden Barracks in Wertheim, do a little shopping and have lunch. Under no circumstance was he to return prior to 2100R.A little bit more on the CMMI Team. They were on the road all but four weeks of the year, spending most weekends at home, and were required to all take thirty days furlough from mid-December to mid-January. They rode on a huge bus, which was led by the Officers of the team in a nice comfortable sedan. All of the inspectors were always in a bad mood. Well at 0900R there was no CMMI Team at our gate. They must have gotten lost. But not to worry. Our eight ball Private, name unknown, was barreling down the autobahn headed for Wertheim when he was flagged down by an NCO who asked him if he knew where A/6/52 was located. Our man said "Sure, let me get turned around and I'll take you there." The NCO climbed in a huge bus and the sedan and bus followed. They got turned around and headed back to our site. At about 1015R, our ratty driver with the nasty truck full of all kinds of unauthorized crap, pulled up at our gate followed closely by the sedan and the huge bus. If you ever wanted to see a grown man cry, I thought our Battery Commander would. But he just bit his lip until it bled and reported to the Colonel in Charge. The Team Chief's first words were of high praise for the man who graciously altered his plans for the day and led the team to the site. When the CMMI Team realized that they were on a missile site with 36 live HAWK rounds, they couldn't wait to get out of there. They did not inspect a thing on the site and spent a little time in the barracks and supply room. They had lunch in our Mess Hall and rated it "Superior". They did not realize that it was a consolidated mess hall staffed by kitchen personnel from Battery A, Headquarters Battery, 6/52, and Headquarters Battery, 69th ADA Group.But from then on I went through three more unannounced Seventh Army CMMIs and don't know how I escaped with my stripes as well as my sanity. 