Gen. George S. Patton, 80, Son Of World War II Commander, Dies

Earlybird | Jun 30, 04 | Unk

[SLB]

WASHINGTON, June 29 - Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, the son and namesake of the World War II armored commander and a veteran of combat in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, died on Sunday at his home in Hamilton, Mass. He was 80.

General Patton, who retired from the Army in 1980, had been in poor health for years because of complications from hip surgery and other ailments, his wife, Joanne, said.

The younger General Patton was occasionally asked whether he felt overshadowed by his father, who gained fame for his exploits in North Africa, Sicily and France and who was introduced to new generations of Americans through George C. Scott's movie portrayal. "I've never worried about it," the son said in an interview in 1977. "I've been too busy."

The younger officer was wounded in one of his three Vietnam tours and was awarded a Purple Heart. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest decoration for bravery in combat.

George Smith Patton was in his last year at West Point when his father, George S. Patton Jr., was killed in a traffic accident in Germany in December 1945. For a time, the younger man was known as George S. Patton III, but he eventually dropped the Roman numeral, his wife said.

General Patton acknowledged that, just as his father had, he demanded a spit-and-polish look from his soldiers. And like his father, he loved history and spoke French, Joanne Patton said. He received a master's in international affairs from George Washington University.

As a colonel, he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. As a major general in 1975, he took command of the Second Armored Division at Fort Hood, Tex. His father had led the division in North Africa.

In 1964, the younger George Patton and other relatives objected to a new biography of the World War II commander, "Ordeal and Triumph," saying it used unauthorized material from the general's wartime diaries. Some material was deleted, and the book was published.

In retirement, the general ran Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, north of Boston.

Also surviving are three sons, George, of Hamilton; Robert, of Darien, Conn.; and Benjamin, of New York; two daughters, Mother Margaret Patton, a nun in Bethlehem, Conn., and Helen Plusczyk of Saarbrücken, Germany; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

[baseballmom]

Thanks for sharing your stories. They are so interesting, and give us a feel for who the man really was.

Rest in Peace, General Patton.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

11th Armored Cavalry Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia (11thACVVC)

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping.

America has been blessed by the capable military leaders. This gentleman was another example.

[U S Army EOD]

I bet the general was a real happy camper over this. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall watching all of this.

[BlueLancer]

"I bet the general was a real happy camper over this."

Well, he wasn't too happy with his security people, but he was a real gentleman about it with all of us Cav guys. After the exercise was over, he sent each one of us a set of his two-star collar insignia (the silver Class-A type) and a pretty neat two paragraph memo complimenting us on our professional and tactical expertise.

Yup ... a real fine man ... but I certainly wouldn't have wanted to been a part of his HQ section during the next training cycle.

[Khurkris]

Thanks for the ping.

God Rest the General.

[Khurkris]

Thanks for the post SLB

[mc5cents]

The younger officer was wounded in one of his three Vietnam tours and was awarded a Purple Heart.

Wow. And J F Kerry was "wounded" three times in his one(4 month) tour of duty. Interesting.

[Tax-chick]

Thanks for the story. He sure looked like his father!

[Kerberos]

"And J F Kerry was "wounded" three times in his one(4 month) tour of duty. Interesting"

Maybe he isn't real good at ducking except when it comes to questions.

[Johnny Gage]

Bumpity Bumpity Bumpity.

[adam_az]

Hahaha love it!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[leadpenny]

General Patton was also an Army Aviator. I don't know when he went through flight school but maybe others will come along with some of the stories while he was at Ft. Wolters and Ft. Rucker. I understand there are many. During Vietnam the Army had a program that allowed a number of field commanders to attend what was termed "The Gentleman's Course." I believe Patton went through as a Colonel. The stipulation was that they could fly in Nam but their co-pilot had to be an Instructor Pilot who was instrument rated. After a number of Generals were killed, including General Casey, the Army ended the program.

In 71 and 72 I was running the Instrument Training Program for the Air Cav Squadron. It was designed to upgrade all of those Army Aviators who had Tactical Instrument ratings to Standard ratings. General Patton got his flight time on a regular basis and he had his own pilot who always flew with him. One day I got a call from the CO who said the regular pilot was on leave and Patton wanted to go get his flight time which would include some Hood time. When he got to Godman Field we talked about where he would like to go and when he needed to be back. We decided to fly the Huey down to Bowling Green, KY, have a snack, and come on back. I had the feeling that his regular pilot usually hovered the aircraft, because when I asked him if he would like to hover it out, he, of course, said yes. "Rusty" is an understatement, but we made it off the ground and on our way south. Putting the Hood on was a whole 'nother experience, but he gave it his best shot. I never saw him smoke cigarettes but did see him chew on a cigar once in a while. After he had had enough of the instrument training, he bummed a smoke from the Crew Chief. I remember getting the impression that he did it just so the young Specialist would have something else to write home about. Patton loved the troops and was a natural leader.

[Soaring Feather]

bump

[jwalsh07]

I was attached to 2AD during that exercise. My job was to to haul the Generals TOC around. He was a good guy.

God bless General.

[r9etb]

After the exercise was over, he sent each one of us a set of his two-star collar insignia (the silver Class-A type) and a pretty neat two paragraph memo complimenting us on our professional and tactical expertise.

Sounds like he was a class act.

[MistyCA]

Thanks for the ping, Johnny! BTTT!

[Valin]

The younger General Patton was occasionally asked whether he felt overshadowed by his father, who gained fame for his exploits in North Africa, Sicily and France and who was introduced to new generations of Americans through George C. Scott's movie portrayal. "I've never worried about it," the son said in an interview in 1977. "I've been too busy."

His father would be proud of him for this.

[MistyCA]

May he rest in peace.