He was a sincere believer. We have no intention to reduce our vast striking force. Even in the heat of combat he could take time out to direct new methods to prevent trench feet, to see to it that dry socks went forward daily with the rations to troops on the line, to kneel in the mud administering morphine and caring for a wounded soldier until the ambulance came. We have had no quitters; and our leadership has been masterful. In 1915, he was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, where the cavalry troops were all turned out in Patton swords: It was a fine sight all with sabers drawn and all my sabers. July 7 Patton participated in Modern Pentathlon, Olympic Games. Seventh Armyin theMediterraneanandEuropean theaters of World War II. ONeill maintains that he told Patton over the telephone that he would research the topic and report back to him within an hour. December 16 Patton was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. On Christmas Eve, General Patton and Omar Bradley attended a candle-light church service in Luxembourg City, sitting in a box once used by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Though he had been sidelined from the invasion, he played an important role in it by his absence. September 15 St. Mihiel Offensive was launched. . "Patton, ordeal and triumph". It was quite impressive. In 1910, he was married to Beatrice Ayer, a family friend he had long courted. All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters,either. He immediately became calm, shakingoff his tremors of fear. We must march together, all out for God. The general considered himself a descendant of the warriors, part of the same lineage of warriors who gladly risked their lives for a noble cause. He convinced General Pershing that he should serve him as his aide. In proudly contemplating our achievements, let us never forget our heroic dead whose graves mark the course of our victorious advances, nor our wounded whose sacrifices aided so much in our success. 1953 September 30 Pattons widow, Beatrice, died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm while horseback riding at Hamilton, Massachusetts. The events of the war stayed with him the rest of his life. They were traveling at about thirty-five miles per hour when an army truck turned from a side road into their path. Battle is not a terrifying ordeal to be endured. The justice of our cause and not the greatness of our race makes us con-fident. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as ateam. George Patton. Uncertain of the role, if any, he might play in the coming invasion of Europe, Patton took a sightseeing trip to the Holy Land and Malta. Pray when fighting. Both men were commanding tank units. 18971903 Patton attended Stephen Cutter Clarks Classical School for Boys, Pasadena, California. Patton, not wanting to compromise his armys success with publicity, telephoned Omar Bradley the following morning and uncharacteristically told him to keep it a secret. Seventy-one years ago this week, U.S. Army General George S. Patton, Jr. delivered what is considered one of the most rousing military speeches of all time to the American 3rd Army waiting to. The one honor which is mine and mine alone is that of having commanded such an incomparable group of Americans, the record of whose fortitude, audacity, and valor will endure as long as history lasts. . He would not tolerate defeatism in prayers or sermons. General James Rusling, "Interview with President William McKinley," The Christian Advocate 22 January 1903, 17. Patton 360 Rogue General. 1927 June Pattons father, George Smith Patton, died. He gave us a British priest, who had lived a long time in Jerusalem, as a guide to see the sights. We preach its importance. . He graduated at twenty-four, accepting a commission in the cavalry and duty at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. For Gods sake, send some gasoline.. Ike thought Patton to be a leader of men exemplar. It is almost completely covered with villages and the areas between them are crowded with tiny fields. Years later, recalling his relationship with Patton, Eisenhower wrote, From the beginning he and I got along famously. The American public embraced a pacifism inspired by a vision of the future in which war was a relic of the barbaric past. We are better-equipped, bet-ter fed, and in the place of his blood-gutted Woten, we have with us the God of our fathers known of old. Some day I want to see the Germans raise up on theirpiss-soaked hind legs and howl, Jesus Christ, its thatgoddamned Third Army again and that son of a bitchPatton.. I do not want to be hitthere again. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. Alden Hatch's biography traces Patton's life from his California childhood to his accidental death in Germany shortly after the end of World War II. It is run by a composite group consisting of Catholics, Greeks, and Copts, and by a strange freak of chance, or British political insight, the doorkeeper is a Mohammedan. . A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stayalive. August 16 Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of major general, bypassing the permanent rank of brigadier general. I know you will be worthy. 1944 March 26 Task Force Baum heads out for Hammelburg to liberate the prisoner of war camp there. He attended the West Point Military Academy but along with his friend, Courtney Hodges, was forced to leave after a year because of poor test results. This is reflected in his many speeches but particularly his famous "Blood and Guts" speech where he addresses the men of the Third Army Division. He announced that the Third Army would shortly capture its 230,000th prisoner of war. I believe that prayer completes that circuit. Patton was carried off to an ambulance. The quicker they are whipped,the quicker we can go home. George Campbell Scott, portraying Patton, standing in front of an. Prayer does not have to take place in church, but can be offered any-where. Americans play towin all of the time. A week before the Rhine crossing, General Patton had held a press conference in which he delivered a classic performance, mixing the humorous, provocative, and the profane. Mikolashek goes beyond General George S. Patton's well-known reputation as a military tactician and strict disciplinarian, notably portrayed by George C. Scott in the 1970 eponymous movie Patton. Loading. Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. [t]anks could have a more valuable and more spectacular role. We must be eager to kill, to inflict on the enemythe hated enemy wounds, death and destruction. But he was a mighty man of valor. We did not see a single beehive, although there were quite a number of mimosa trees. Instead he demanded sermons and prayers which emphasized courage and victory. Patton believed that without prayer, his soldiers would crack up under the unrelenting pressures of battle. Americans love to fight, traditionally. One account of what happened after Pattons telephone call to ONeill is related by Colonel Paul Harkins, Pattons deputy chief of staff. Both of us were students of current military doctrine. March 30 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel. Prayer to most of them is a formal, ritualized affair, involving special posture and a liturgical setting. As a young officerin World War One, George S. Pattonwas part of thenewly formedUnited States Tank Corpsof theAmerican Expeditionary Forces. Outside, the Chaplain said, Whew, thats a tough one! We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . Eisenhower had not been sent off to France during the war but had established and run the largest tank training center in the United StatesCamp Colt, at Get-tysburg, Pennsylvania. Beatrices dinner was interrupted when the nurse suddenly noticed that Patton had stopped breathing. The Japanese saw the storm as a divine wind sent by the gods to save them. The general was as affected by the Crusader sights as he was the Biblical locations. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. . Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. Americans despise cowards. On 1 October 1919, Patton gave a speech to the Tank Corps on The Obligation of Being an Officer. It touched on Pattons grand view of the profession of arms: Does it not occur to you gentlemen that we . Thirty years from now, when youare sitting around the fireside with your grandson onyour knee and he asks what you did in the great WorldWar II, you wont have to say, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.. Pray for the defeat of our wicked enemy whose banner is injustice and whose good is oppression. . But Patton could look to more recent lessons about weather and battle. They were waiting for the arrival of that legendary figure, Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr. Old "Blood and Guts" himself, about whom many a colorful chapter would be written for the school boys of tomorrow. 1946 March 19 Pattons remains were moved to a different gravesite within the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. I got a medal for charging at the enemy, butI have had to spend a lot of time explaining how I gotshot in the behind! In the autumn of 1919, he was introduced toEisenhower, known to his friends as Ike. . 1909 June 11 Patton was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, 15th Cavalry. Were not just going to shoot the sons of bitches, weregoing to rip out their living goddamned guts and usethem to grease the treads of our tanks. As he searched through his prayer books, ONeill could find no formal prayers pertaining to weather, so he composed an original prayer which he typed on a three-by-five-inch card: Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Patton's speeches typically included humor, almost always profane and often self-deprecatory: I do not know of a better way to die than to be facing the enemy. The real hero is the man whofights even though he is scared . They were actually in the heart of England itself. Eisenhower prepared to leak a story that General Patton had lost his commandbecause of displeasure at some of his indiscretions and thatthe main invasion of the continent was delayed by bad weather. Patton left the window, sat at his desk and leaned back in his swivel chair. Patton restarted the course and graduated in 1909 (46/103) and won a commission in the cavalry. December 9 Patton sustained spinal cord and neck injuries in an automobile accident near Neckarstadt, Germany. With the skill of a methodactor, Patton would also strive to achieve an intimidating mienhiswar facethat would communicate his intensity to his audience. . I told them that I was going to relieve any preacher who talked more than ten minutes on any subject. Tough days may be ahead of us before we eat our rations in the Chancellery of the Deutsches Reich. Distribution was completed on December 11 and 12. After a vigorous debate, Bradley conceded. As chaplains it is our business to pray. I know how you feel, but there is nothing to be done.4 Patton, like a young Napoleon, had ambitiously hoped to be a brigadier general by twenty-seven. . From Beersheba we flew over Hebron and Bethlehem and turned westward just south of Jerusalem, finally landing at Aqir, near the coast, where we were met with some cars and driven thirty miles to Jerusalem. Paperback. He commented at length on the four vows that each knight took upon induction into the order: on poverty, chastity, humility, and obedience. Getty Images. while containing the elements of a funny story about the General and his Chaplain, is not the true account of the prayer incident or its sequence.. As one soldierrecalled: I am positive the Patton image was born on the first day hespoke in that bowl. The General Patton I saw there was the Army Commander to whom the welfare of the men under him was a matter of personal responsibility. See answer (1) Best Answer. That way I can keep firing my pistols! If the band played a piece first with the piccolo, then withthe brass horn, then with the clarinet, and then withthe trumpet, there would be a hell of a lot of noise butno music. See if we cant get God to work on our side., Chaplain ONeill: Sir, its going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying., General Patton: I dont care if it takes a flying carpet. Were going tomurder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel-f***ingbasket. We reached Cairo just at dark, having completed in one day the trip which took the Children of Israel forty years to accomplish. . Let us be gentle. . At the end of the speech he said, Iam taking this division into Berlin and when I do, I wantevery one of your tracks to be carrying the stench of Germanblood and guts.. Live to return to our family and our girl as conquering heroesmen of Mars. Our glorious march from the Normandy Beach across France to where we stand, before and beyond the Siegfried Line, with the wreckage of the German Army behind us should convince the most skeptical soldier that God has ridden with our banner. It is our job to make the most of them. Patton and his men returned to camp with the corpses of the Villaists strapped over the hoods of their cars. The soldier who cracks up does not need sympathy or comfort as much as he needs strength. If hesays hes not, hes a liar. A common GI saying about Patton was, "our blood, his guts." The general's low point came in August 1943 when he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command for crying. Children of a free and sheltered people who have lived a generous life, we have not the pugnacious disposition of those oppressed beasts our enemies, who must fight or starve. As blood poured from his wound,he serenely contemplated his own death. That way I can keep firing my pistols! 62 of 70 found this interesting | Share this . Following an old cavalry credo to theeffect you should always Hit em where they aint, he saidto us: You have to grab em by the[censored] and kick emin the [censored] . Americans love a winner. Patton wanted combat and knew he couldnt find it as a staff officer to Pershing; to see action he had to either lead infantry or train to become a tank officer. General Patton and His Musicians From Mars 1 Comment Information Musicians From Mars is part of the famous "Blood and Guts" speech General Patton to his men in 1941 "There is still a tendency in each separate unitto be a one- handed puncher. Thetrouser legs were skinny and shoved into his black, laced-up fieldboots. He had not failed them; he had shown his courage and faced his fears. In his new bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer, author Michael Keane takes readers on a journey through Patton's career in three parts: his military prowess, his inspirational bravery, and his faith. About a hundred and fifty doughboys followed him, but when theyarrived at the crest of the hill, the onslaught of gunfire forced themall to the ground, hugging it for protection. When war erupted in France in 1914, Patton wanted to take up the sword in earnest, fighting in the French army. One hundred ninety-two men were killed, 2,624 wounded, and 2,459 were captured or went missing. 'Old Blood and Guts', General Patton. Throughout the speech (Appendix 1) General Patton emphasises certain themes (Appendices 2 and 3 . Beersheba and the surrounding country do not look too difficult, but certainly away from the wells the country is an absolute sand sea, and it is difficult to understand how Allenby ever moved a cavalry corps across it. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was taken to a hospital in Heidelberg. General Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. The encounter seemed to confirm Hitlers contempt for the battle-worthiness of American soldiers. May I say, General, that it usually isnt a customary thing among men of my profession to pray for clear weather to kill fellow men., General Patton: Chaplain, are you trying to teach me theology or are you the Chaplain of the Third Army? December 10 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 3d Cavalry, Fort Myer, Virginia. Of the hundred andfifty soldiers, only six followed him, one of whom was his orderly,Private Joseph Angelo. Please be advised it is quite profane. September 12 Patton joined 15th Cavalry, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and was assigned to Troop K. 1910 May 26 Patton and Beatrice Banning Ayer were married; they would later have three children. . Every man has a job to do and he must do it. . . He took an interest in tanks and studied this emerging form of mobile weaponry with intensity. I guess I need it. The chaplain entered, said a few prayers and Patton thanked him. The Nazis are the enemy. 1935 May 7 Patton departed Los Angeles for Hawaii. . After we had left the church, we followed the Way of the Cross, which is a dirty street, to the point where the Roman Forum had stood. In August 1918, he was placed in charge of the U.S. 1st Provisional Tank Brigade. He cant preach! And we got rid of him. Death, in time, comes to allmen. An armored division is the most powerful organizationever devised by the mind of men . Before he did that, Patton gave himself a crash course in French tanks, which included test-driving them, firing their guns, and even walking the assembly line to see how they were made. 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