I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. My dad got out of the aircraft and he really looked super; he was fifty-nine years old at the time. "The True Story of The Patton Prayer" by James H. O'Neill in, Transcription of his Speech to the Third Army, Patton Society Page on the slapping incidents, Captain Philip Markopoulos a Patton's Hero: An Incredible True Story When Fate and Destiny Outpower Weapons, http://www.military-history.us/2014/03/now-would-be-a-good-time-for-a-bit-of-revisionism/, https://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=George_S._Patton&oldid=2826246, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. When deeply moved, he readily gave way to tears. Required fields are marked *. When he returned to his field headquarters, he normally altered his mode of transportation to an airplane to avoid having his men see him moving back. It was undertaken at the expense of two possible offensives that had to be postponed because Eisenhower diverted supplies to MARKET-GARDEN. There he met Army Chief of Staff George Marshall, who saw him as a prime candidate for general. I have attempted to write of my long association with George Patton as fairly and as honestly as I could. In a small black notebook Patton recorded his thoughts, and throughout his colorful military career constantly drew historical parallels to the situation he faced. “Many soldiers are led to faulty ideas of war by knowing too much about too little.” – George S. Patton, 20. His colorful image, hard-driving personality, and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements. "Hell, Brad," he said, "what you need is a social gun. “If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. "He moved his tanks forward to Cheppy and found leaderless infantry scattered about. WIth him in the aircraft were a couple of division commanders, including John W. O'Daniel, who had lost his son in the Normandy invasion and who later became my commanding general at the Infantry School at Fort Benning when I went through the basic officers course in 1946. His family told him he was descended from England's Edward I and barons who signed the Magna Carta that forced King John to give up power. I passed a chateau in ruins which I possibly helped escalade in the middle ages. Perhaps most famous for his commanding of the 7th Army during World War II, Old “Blood and Guts” demonstrated his superior leadership by often giving attention-getting speeches to motivate, inspire, and educate his soldiers. A couple of days later we all went up to Boston and the aircraft landed. He rose to colonel in 1938 and returned to Fort Myer. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn! Though Patton commissioned this prayer and ordered 250,000 copies of it printed with his signature, it was actually composed by Chief Chaplain. My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. When a corps commander whom he had disliked as a result of some earlier altercation bivouacked his command in the Third Army sector, George stomped over to the CP for a preliminary inspection.