I was a SP4 in the 547th Engineer Battalion in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1964 and my job was S3 clerk. The S3 officer was Capt. Williams, the third ranking officer in the battalion.
Some of the neighboring units would request that we provide heavy equipment for them and we would assist whenever possible. One snowy day Capt. Williams told me we would not be sending any equipment off post due to weather conditions. Very soon afterward I received a call from a Master Sergeant from a nearby unit requesting some assistance in removing the snow. I informed him that the captain had given orders that we wouldn't be able to assist that day. He proceeded to chew me out big time before he hung up.
I had not noticed, but Capt. Williams had overheard the conversation enough to know what had happened. He told me to call him back and get the name of his boss, which I did. His boss was a major. Capt. Williams called him immediately and introduced himself and informed the major that unless his sergeant called back immediately to apologize, they would receive no assistance from us. The response was almost immediate and the apology was humbling for the sergeant. I have never forgotten how this captain had my back, even in a possible confrontation with a superior officer.
I had never been south of Boston prior to entering the Army and had not met many blacks. Capt. Williams was the only black officer in the unit.