Posted on 12/24/2014 9:41:12 PM PST by WhiskeyX
Many conflicting and some untrue stories have been printed about General George S. Patton and the Third Army Prayer. Some have had the tinge of blasphemy and disrespect for the Deity. Even in "War As I Knew It" by General Patton, the footnote on the Prayer by Colonel Paul D. Harkins, Patton's Deputy Chief of Staff, 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 the Chief Chaplain of the Third Army throughout the five campaigns on the Staff of General Patton, I should have some knowledge of the event because at the direction of General Patton I composed the now world famous Prayer, and wrote Training Letter No. 5, which constitutes an integral, but untold part, of the prayer story. These Incidents, narrated in sequence, should serve to enhance the memory of the man himself, and cause him to be enshrined by generations to come as one of the greatest of our soldiers. He had all the traits of military leadership, fortified by genuine trust in God, intense love of country, and high faith In the American soldier.
(Excerpt) Read more at pattonhq.com ...
Maybe this is the real reason Patton was hated by the elite.
That was great. Excellent. Thank you.
Ping to self for later reading.
I have a friend who was a heavy machine gunner in the 104th Reg't, 26th Yankee Div., 3rd Army and went through this whole thing, including the 3-day 100-mile forced march, incredibly shifting Patton's Army from Metz to Bastogne.
To the day he and his failing wife entered a local senior care center, he was a faithful member of the Yankee Div. Association, Life Member of NRA, present at the church house whenever the doors were opened, and supported its ministries with his time, income, and prayers.
While I would guess he has read this, I am sure he was at the receiving end of this praying task, and came home unscratched, but with an incredible record as an infantryman.
I am going to send this to him to let him know that I have followed anything I have seen re the Third Army, in honor and appreciation for his service when I was a kid, 8 years old in December 1944.
And thanks again!
Thanks for posting this.
For later read
The best sort of FR thread.
Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
Don’t forget to pray!
Thank you, and please give him my heartfelt best wishes.
Here is another story about Christmas 1944 in the snows of Europe:
Christmas Eve in an Old Barn
We left Metz, France, and drove all night to stop the German attacks. The weather was one of our enemies and the snow made it hard to move our jeeps, trucks and tanks. The roads were covered with ice and snow and when we arrived in Luxembourg our company was also billeted in an old barn.
It was Christmas Eve and there I was standing guard duty; it was better cold and I can still remember the full moon shining down the landscape.
Many Christmas Eves have gone by however my thoughts still go back to the old barn and Christmas Eve in 1944. Moving on we had to cross the river at Diekirch in Luxembourg and this is where I lost a great friend, Donald Ickes, from Chicago. He was wounded and died (January 18, 1945) there on the riverbank. Each year the townspeople of Diekirch, Luxembourg, reenact this river crossing that resulted in the liberation of their town.[...]
What to do on Christmas in Kyiv
Dec. 25, 2014, 2:14 a.m. | Ukraine — by Oksana Lyachynska
http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/the-main-christmas-tree-light-up-375723.html
The Declaration of Christmas Peace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Peace
PFL
May they one day know the Peace that passes all understanding.
Good point.
Long read but well worth it.
In these times of evil, we need to pray.
***
Most definitely.
Not to be confused with a Gibbs-slap!
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