Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Gen. Patton ~ July 30, 2007
Various - linked in thread | Yosemite Sam

Posted on 07/29/2007 5:00:47 PM PDT by StarCMC

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!
 
For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.
 
Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!
 
 
~ Hall of Heroes ~

Gen. George S. Patton

ArmyPatch small   NavySeal small   Air Force Seal   Marines Seal small   Coast Guard Seal small (better)

One of the most complicated military men of all time, General George Smith Patton, Jr. was born November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was known for carrying pistols with ivory handles and his intemperate manner, and is regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of any war. He continually strove to train his troops to the highest standard of excellence.

Patton decided during childhood that his goal in life was to become a hero. His ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War and the Civil War, and he grew up listening to stories of their brave and successful endeavors. He attended the Virginia Military Institute for one year and went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point on June 11, 1909. He was then commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the 15th cavalry Regiment.

Patton married Beatrice Ayer, whom he dated while at West Point, on May 26, 1910. In 1912 he represented the United States at the Stockholm Olympics in the first Modern Pentathlon. Originally open only to military officers, it was considered a rigorous test of the skills a soldier should possess. Twenty-six year old Patton did remarkably well in the multi-event sport, consisting of pistol shooting from 25 meters, sword fencing, a 300 meter free style swim, 800 meters horse back riding and a 4-kilometer cross country run. He placed fifth overall, despite a disappointing development in the shooting portion. While most chose .22 revolvers, Patton felt the event's military roots garnered a more appropriate weapon, the .38. During the competition Patton was docked for missing the target, though he contended the lost bullet had simply passed through a large opening created by previous rounds from the .38, which left considerably larger holes.

After the Olympics, Patton kept busy taking lessons at the French cavalry School and studying French sword drills. In the summer of 1913, Patton received orders to report to the commandant of the Mounted Service School in Fort Riley, Kansas, where he became the school's first Master of the Sword. He designed and taught a course in swordsmanship while he was a student at the school.

Patton's first real exposure to battle occurred when he served as a member of legendary General John J. Pershing's staff during the expedition to Mexico. In 1915, Patton was sent to Fort Bliss along the Mexican border where he led routine cavalry patrols. A year later, he accompanied Pershing as an aide on his expedition against Francisco "Pancho" Villa into Mexico. Patton gained recognition from the press for his attacks on several of Villa's men.

Impressed by Patton's determination, Pershing promoted him to Captain and asked him to command his Headquarters Troop upon their return from Mexico. With the onset of World War I in 1914, tanks were not being widely used. In 1917, however, Patton became the first member of the newly established United States Tank Corps, where he served until the Corps were abolished in 1920. He took full command of the Corps, directing ideas, procedures and even the design of their uniforms. Along with the British tankers, he and his men achieved victory at Cambrai, France, during the world's first major tank battle in 1917.

Using his first-hand knowledge of tanks, Patton organized the American tank school in Bourg, France and trained the first 500 American tankers. He had 345 tanks by the time he took the brigade into the Meuse-Argonne Operation in September 1918. When they entered into battle, Patton had worked out a plan where he could be in the front lines maintaining communications with his rear command post by means of pigeons and a group of runners. Patton continually exposed himself to gunfire and was shot once in the leg while he was directing the tanks. His actions during that battle earned him the Distinguished Service Cross for Heroism, one of the many medals he would collect during his lifetime.

An outspoken advocate for tanks, Patton saw them as the future of modern combat. Congress, however, was not willing to appropriate funds to build a large armored force. Even so, Patton studied, wrote extensively and carried out experiments to improve radio communications between tanks. He also helped invent the co-axial tank mount for cannons and machine guns.

After WWI, Patton held a variety of staff jobs in Hawaii and Washington, D.C. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1924, and completed his military schooling as a distinguished graduate of the Army War College in 1932.

When the German Blitzkrieg began on Europe, Patton finally convinced Congress that the United States needed a more powerful armored striking force. With the formation of the Armored Force in 1940, he was transferred to the Second Armored Division at Fort Benning, Georgia and named Commanding General on April 11, 1941. Two months later, Patton appeared on the cover of Life magazine. Also during this time, Patton began giving his famous "Blood and Guts" speeches in an amphitheater he had built to accommodate the entire division.

The United States officially entered World War II in December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By November 8, 1942, Patton was commanding the Western Task Force, the only all-American force landing for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. After succeeding there, Patton commanded the Seventh Army during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and in conjunction with the British Eighth Army restored Sicily to its citizens.

Patton commanded the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. Patton and his troops dashed across Europe after the battle of Normandy and exploited German weaknesses with great success, covering the 600 miles across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. When the Third Army liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp, Patton slowed his pace. He instituted a policy, later adopted by other commanders, of making local German civilians tour the camps. By the time WWII was over, the Third Army had liberated or conquered 81,522 square miles of territory.

In October 1945, Patton assumed command of the Fifteenth Army in American-occupied Germany. On December 9, he suffered injuries as the result of an automobile accident. He died 12 days later, on December 21, 1945 and is buried among the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge in Hamm, Luxembourg.

Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, Patton is now considered one of the greatest military figures in history. The 1970 film, "Patton," starring George C. Scott in the title role, provoked renewed interest in Patton. The movie won seven Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Picture, and immortalized General George Smith Patton, Jr. as one of the world's most intriguing military men.

Link to the infomation.

Below is the famous "Patton Prayer" and Christmas greeting sent to the men of the Third Army December 8, 1944:

 
Patton's Prayer

 
"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. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen."


Patton's Greeting

 
"To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete victory. May God's blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day."

G.S. Patton, Jr., Lieutenant General
Commanding, Third United States Army.

 

 

Next week:  Famous quotes of General Patton.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: canteen; hallofheroes; militaryhero; patton
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 301-304 next last

1 posted on 07/29/2007 5:00:50 PM PDT by StarCMC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 2LT Radix jr; 80 Square Miles; 359Henrie; acad1228; AirForceMom; Alas Babylon!; AliVeritas; ...

Come read about one of the greatest US Military heroes of all time!! I’ll be back to visit after dinner!


2 posted on 07/29/2007 5:01:32 PM PDT by StarCMC (This country is not free by the pen but by the back,brains and bullets of a soldier. ~advertsng guy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

Patton if he was alive today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUX6wV1lBQ


3 posted on 07/29/2007 5:04:05 PM PDT by Andy from Beaverton (I'm so anti-pc, I use a Mac)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

1st?


4 posted on 07/29/2007 5:04:32 PM PDT by gate2wire
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

Oh well, 2nd.


5 posted on 07/29/2007 5:05:50 PM PDT by gate2wire
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

Aloha Star!


6 posted on 07/29/2007 5:06:43 PM PDT by BIGLOOK (Keelhauling is a sensible solution to mutiny.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

Hi Star! *HUGS* How are you?


7 posted on 07/29/2007 5:07:49 PM PDT by CMS (only 2 forces offered to die for you. 1.Jesus Christ for your soul 2. American soldiers for freedom)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC; monkapotamus; All

I wonder how General Patten would feel that 60 years internet poster like Freeper be photoshop him with Karl Rove Looter guy Baghdad Bob Dubya Cheney AND ME

Screw it Monk


8 posted on 07/29/2007 5:09:38 PM PDT by SevenofNine ("We are Freepers, all your media belong to us, resistence is futile")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

BTTT


9 posted on 07/29/2007 5:11:28 PM PDT by patton (Get the H$LL off of my ROOF!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC
General PATTON is, in my opinion, the greatest American to have worn the uniform of the United States military. I've read a lot about him, and have spoken with many who served with him. It seems that he had an uncanny ability to understand his soldiers, and knew instinctively how to destroy the enemy. I have read that the German High Command in WWII feared him the most. My only wish is that we had him amongst us today.

He was the real deal.

10 posted on 07/29/2007 5:16:32 PM PDT by tenthirteen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

This Day in U.S. Military History July 30

1964 - At about midnight, six “Swifts,” special torpedo boats used by the South Vietnamese for covert raids, attack the islands of Hon Me and Hon Ngu in the Tonkin Gulf. Although unable to land any commandos, the boats fired on island installations. Radar and radio transmissions were monitored by an American destroyer, the USS Maddox, which was stationed about 120 miles away. The South Vietnamese attacks were part of a covert operation called Oplan 34A, which involved raids by South Vietnamese commandos operating under American orders against North Vietnamese coastal and island installations. Although American forces were not directly involved in the actual raids, U.S. Navy ships were on station to conduct electronic surveillance and monitor North Vietnamese defense responses under another program, Operation De Soto. The Oplan 34A attacks played a major role in events that led to what became known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. On August 2, North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the Maddox, which had been conducting a De Soto mission in the area. Two days after the first attack, there was another incident that still remains unclear. The Maddox, joined by destroyer USS C. Turner Joy, engaged what were thought at the time to be more attacking North Vietnamese patrol boats. Although it was questionable whether the second attack actually happened or not, the incident provided the rationale for retaliatory air attacks against the North Vietnamese and the subsequent Tonkin Gulf Resolution. The resolution became the basis for the initial escalation of the war in Vietnam and ultimately the insertion of U.S. combat troops into the area.


11 posted on 07/29/2007 5:21:58 PM PDT by gpapa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tenthirteen

I totally agree. We need another one just like him. Maybe the next generation will produce one.


12 posted on 07/29/2007 5:24:32 PM PDT by RC2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC
Good evening, Star.
Good evening, all.
13 posted on 07/29/2007 5:25:08 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Muggle when I married her.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC; AZamericonnie; MS.BEHAVIN; Kathy in Alaska; SandRat; All

Just heard from my boy tonite! I’d stayed home from church because I wasn’t feeling good and I guess this was supposed to be!

We didn’t get to talk long, just long enough to hear about the TWO week delay in his group getting started, the shots, the haircuts and what to send and not to send and to tell him I loved him.

He sounded good and is already irritated at some of the guys because they won’t listen to instructions!


14 posted on 07/29/2007 5:35:18 PM PDT by swmobuffalo (The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

15 posted on 07/29/2007 5:35:23 PM PDT by RasterMaster (Rudy McRomneyson = KENNEDY wing of the Republican Party)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC
And here's today's uplifting story. This guy isn't Patton, but he is an Eagle Scout!

At 88, Florida man is finally an Eagle Scout

About 70 years overdue, but worth the wait, eh?

16 posted on 07/29/2007 5:40:22 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Liberal when I married her.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SevenofNine

17 posted on 07/29/2007 5:41:45 PM PDT by monkapotamus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Andy from Beaverton

Funny, though a bit long.


18 posted on 07/29/2007 5:43:19 PM PDT by Tanniker Smith (I didn't know she was a Liberal when I married her.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: StarCMC

July 30, 2007

Unchanging Love

READ: James 1:12-20

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights. —James 1:17

At a wedding I attended, the bride’s grandfather quoted from memory a moving selection of Scripture about the relationship of husband and wife. Then a friend of the couple read “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare. The minister conducting the ceremony used a phrase from that sonnet to illustrate the kind of love that should characterize a Christian marriage: “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.” The poet is saying that true love does not change with circumstances.

The minister noted the many changes this couple would experience during their life together, including health and the inevitable effects of age. Then he challenged them to cultivate the true biblical love that neither falters nor fails in spite of the alterations that would surely come their way.

As I witnessed the joy and excitement of this young couple, a verse came to mind from James: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (1:17). God never changes, and neither does His love for us. We are recipients of a perfect love from our heavenly Father, who has loved us “with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3).

We are called to accept His unfailing love, to allow it to shape our lives, and to extend it to others. 

Unfailing is God’s matchless love,
So kind, so pure, so true;
And those who draw upon that love
Show love in all they do. —D. De Haan

God’s love still stands when all else has fallen.


19 posted on 07/29/2007 5:48:30 PM PDT by The Mayor ( A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.—Proverbs 16:9)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RC2

MG George S Patton III retired in the late 70s at Ft Knox, KY.


20 posted on 07/29/2007 5:58:23 PM PDT by csmusaret (Mnimum wage today; maximum wage tomorrow. It's the Socialist way.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 301-304 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson