The FReeper Foxhole Profiles George S. Patton Jr. - Mar. 8th, 2003

http://www.generalpatton.com/biography.html ^

[SAMWolf]

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General George S. Patton, Jr.
1885-1945

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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 ivory pistols 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.


A tired and dusty General George Patton receives a report from Colonel Harry Flint during the Louisiana Maneuvers. Note the patch of the 2nd Armored Division that he commanded on his uniform.

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 March 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 1971 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.

[SAMWolf]

When Patton assumed command of Third Army, he replaced a number of the headquarters staff with his own people. Patton spoke to his headquarters staff on March 24, 1944 outside Peover Hall. Some were from his staff in Africa and Sicily but were new to Third Army. Others were fresh from the United States and had been part of Third Army from the beginning. On this day, Patton tailored his speech to a headquarters staff.

I have been given command of Third Army for reasons which will become clear to you later on. (Hodges, with less experience than Patton, was to understudy Bradley at 1st Army. Once all armies were in place on the continent Bradley was to assume command of 12th Group with both armies under him, and Hodges would command 1st Army.) You made an outstanding record as an able and hard-working staff under my predecessor. I have no doubt you will do the same for me. We now have two staffs merging into one, each with its own procedures. By working harmoniously and intelligently together a third staff will be developed with a third procedure, which should be better than either of the other two.

I am here because of the confidence of two men: The President of the United States and the theater commander. They have confidence in me because they don't believe a lot of goddamned lies that have been printed about me and also because they know I mean business when I fight. I don't fight for fun and I won't tolerate anyone on my staff who does.

You are here to fight. This is an active theater of war. Ahead of you lies battle. That means just one thing. You can't afford to be a goddamned fool, because, in battle, fools mean dead men. It is inevitable for men to be killed and wounded in battle. But there is no reason why such losses should be increased because of the incompetence and carelessness of some stupid son-of-a-bitch. I don't tolerate such men on my staff.

There are three reasons why we are fighting this war. The first is because we are determined to preserve our traditional liberties. Some crazy German bastards decided they were supermen and that it was their holy mission to rule the world. They've been pushing people around all over the world, looting, killing, and abusing millions of innocent men, women, and children. They were getting set to do the same thing to us. We had to fight to prevent being subjugated.

The second reason we are fighting is to defeat and wipe out the Nazis who started all this goddamned son-of-bitchery. They didn't think we could or would fight, and they weren't the only ones who thought that, either. There are certain people back home who had the same idea. Both were wrong.

The third reason we are fighting is because men like to fight. They always have and they always will. Some sophists and other crackpots deny that. They don't know what they're talking about. They are either goddamned fools or cowards, or both. Men like to fight, and if they don't they're not real men.

If you don't like to fight, I don't want you around. You'd better get out before I kick you out. But there is one thing to remember. In war, it takes more than the desire to fight to win. You've got to have more than guts to lick the enemy. You must also have brains. It takes brains and guts to win wars. A man with guts but no brains is only half a soldier. We licked the Germans in Africa and Sicily because we had brains as well as guts. We're going to lick them in Europe for the same reason.

That's all and good luck.

[SAMWolf]

George S. Patton's
Speech to the Third U.S. Army

The newspapers called him "Blood and Guts." His men in Africa called him "Gorgeous Georgie" after his distinctive way of dressing. The men of the Third Army simply called him "Georgie," his nickname from childhood. Whatever the nickname, George S. Patton, Jr. represented a rarity in the U.S. Army and unique in the European-African-Middle Eastern theater, the cult of personality. To this day, while other World War II veterans refer to the division and often only to the regiment or battalion, men of the Third Army refer to their belonging to the Third U.S. Army. "I was with Patton," many will say.

Patton's speech to units within Third Army were directed to the private. It was directed in a language he thought would appeal to them. Appearing to be extemporaneous, the speech was actually a well rehearsed performance. The Patton Museum has several copies of the speech dating from March to May. Patton kept no record of the speech. Each was copied by someone in the audience. The variations in the text may have come from the recorder or Patton's variation in the presentation. With minor variations such as "toughest boxer" for "All American football teams" and cowards should die like "rats" or like "flies," each version of the speech is remarkably consistent.

Be Seated.

Men, this stuff we hear about America wanting to stay out of the war, not wanting to fight, is a lot of bullshit. Americans love to fight - traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble player; the fastest runner; the big league ball players; the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win - all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, not ever will lose a war, for the very thought of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Every man is frightened at first in battle. If he says he isn't, he's a goddamn liar. Some men are cowards, yes! But they fight just the same, or get the hell shamed out of them watching men who do fight who are just as scared. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some get over their fright in a minute under fire, some take an hour. For some it takes days. But the real man never lets fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to this country and his innate manhood.

All through your army career you men have bitched about "This chickenshit drilling." That is all for a purpose. Drilling and discipline must be maintained in any army if for only one reason -- INSTANT OBEDIENCE TO ORDERS AND TO CREATE CONSTANT ALERTNESS. I don't give a damn for a man who is not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready. A man to continue breathing must be alert at all times. If not, sometime a German son-of-a-bitch will sneak up behind him and beat him to death with a sock full of shit.

There are 400 neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily all because one man went to sleep on his job -- but they were German graves for we caught the bastard asleep before his officers did. An Army is a team. Lives, sleeps, eats, fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is a lot of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting, under fire, than they do about fucking. We have the best food, the finest equipment, the best spirit and the best fighting men in the world. Why, by God, I actually pity these poor sons-of-bitches we are going up against. By God, I do!

My men don't surrender. I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he is hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight. That's not just bullshit, either. The kind of man I want under me is like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Lugar against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand and busted hell out of the Boche with the helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German: All this with a bullet through his lung. That's a man for you.



All real heroes are not story book combat fighters either. Every man in the army plays a vital part. Every little job is essential. Don't ever let down, thinking your role is unimportant. Every man has a job to do. Every man is a link in the great chain. What if every truck driver decided that he didn't like the whine of the shells overhead, turned yellow and jumped headlong into the ditch? He could say to himself, "They won't miss me -- just one in thousands." What if every man said that? Where in hell would we be now? No, thank God, Americans don't say that! Every man does his job; every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important to the vast scheme of things. The Ordnance men are needed to supply the guns, the Quartermaster to bring up the food and clothes to us -- for where we're going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man in the mess hall, even the one who heats the water to keep us from getting the GI shits has a job to do. Even the chaplain is important, for if we get killed and if he is not there to bury us we'd all go to hell.

Each man must not only think of himself, but of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this army. They should all be killed off like flies. If not they will go back home after the war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed brave men. Kill off the goddamn cowards and we'll have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men I ever saw in the African campaign was the fellow I saw on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of furious fire while we were plowing toward Tunis. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at that time. He answered, "Fixing the wire, sir." "Isn't it a little unhealthy right now?," I asked. "Yes sir, but this goddamn wire's got to be fixed." There was a real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how great the odds, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time.

You should have seen those trucks on the road to Gabes. The drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting around them all the time. We got through on good old American guts. Many of these men drove over forty consecutive hours. These weren't combat men. But they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it -- and in a whale of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without them the fight would have been lost. All the links in the chain pulled together and that chain became unbreakable.



Don't forget, you don't know I'm here. No word of the fact is to be mentioned in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell became of me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the goddamn Germans. Someday I want them to raise up on their hind legs and howl, "Jesus Christ, it's the goddamn Third Army and that son-of-a-bitch Patton again."

We want to get the hell over there. We want to get over there and clear the goddamn thing up. You can't win a war lying down. The quicker we clean up this goddamn mess, the quicker we can take a jaunt against the purple pissing Japs an clean their nest out too, before the Marines get all the goddamn credit.

Sure, we all want to be home. We want this thing over with. The quickest way to get it over is to get the bastards. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin. When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a Boche will get him eventually, and the hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one. We'll win this war but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans we've got more guts than they have.

There is one great thing you men will all be able to say when you go home. You may thank God for it. Thank God, that at least, thirty years from now, when you are sitting around the fireside with your grandson on your knees, and he asks you what you did in the great war, you won't have to cough and say, "I shoveled shit in Louisiana."

[SAMWolf]

"A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later."

"Fixed fortifications are monuments to man's stupidity."

"Do everything you ask of those you command."

"Do more than is required of you."

"Do not fear failure."

"Do not make excuses, whether it s your fault or not."

"Do not take counsel of your fears."

"Give credit where it s due."

"In case of doubt, attack."

"It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that insures victory."

"Lack of orders is no excuse for inaction."

"Make your plans to fit the circumstances."

"Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men."

"Say what you mean and mean what you say."

"Take calculated risks."

"The duties of an officer are the safety, honor, and welfare of your country first; the honor, welfare, and comfort of the men in your command second; and the officer s own ease, comfort, and safety last."

"The soldier is the army."

"There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change; it is, 'To use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wounds, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.' "

"There is only one type of discipline, perfect discipline."

"There s a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."

"You're never beaten until you admit it."

"-Maybe there are 5 000, maybe 10 000 Nazi bastards in their concrete foxholes before the Third Army. Now if Ike stops holding Monty's hand and gives me the supplies, I'll go through the Sigfried Line like shit through a goose."

"You shouldn't underestimate an enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him."

"When this war is over, I am going to remove my medals and stars and leave only my jacket on and they all can kiss my ass."

"It is only by doing things others have not that one can advance."

"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."

"Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and the American way."

"God deliverus from our friends, we can handle the enemy."

"Give an army of West Point grads and I win a battle, give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war."

"I'm going to Berlin to personally shot that paper hanging son of a bitch."

"Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read you book!!!"

"As I walk thorugh the valley of death I fear no one, for I am the meanest mother ****** in the valley!"

"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood."

"We won't just shot the bastard, but rip out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks."

"America loves a winner, and will not tolerate a loser, this is why America has never, and will never lose a war."

"We're going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel!"

"Give me 10 days and I'll start a war with those God damn Reds and make it look like their fault. Then we can push the motherf****** back into Moscow where they belong!"

"All glory is fleeting."

"And I would be proud to lead you son of bitches into battle, anytime, anywhere."

"I always believe in being prepared, even when I'm dressed in white tie and tails."

"A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances."

"Success demands a high level of logistical and organizational competance."

"Always take the offensive...Never Dig in."

"Perpetual peace is a futile dream."

-- George S. Patton

[SAMWolf]

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[WaterDragon]

It's great to see that you are honoring Patton today! I recently read a review of Victor Davis Hanson's book "The Soul of Battle" and most of it is devoted to Patton. He was a truly GREAT man.

[steveegg]

Thanks. "Patton was a great military leader bump" BTTT.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on March 08:
1075 Abu 'l-Kasim Mahmud ibn Omar al-Zamachshari Arab theologist
1495 Juan de Dios Portugal/Spain, saint/founder (Brothers of Mercy)
1607 Johann Rist composer
1714 Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach German composer, son of JS Bach
1743 Bendix Friedrich Zinck composer
1748 Willem V Batavus prince of Orange-Nassau
1778 Friedrich August Kanne composer
1783 Gottfied Wilhelm Fink composer
1783 Hannah Hoes Van Buren Kinderhook NY, wife of President Martin Van Buren (1837-41) (died 1819)
1787 Karl Ferdinand von Grafe help create modern plastic surgery
1799 Simon Cameron Secretary of War (Union), died in 1889
1815 Jean Delphin Alard French violinist/composer
1825 George William Martin composer
1836 Matthew Calbraith Butler Major General (Confederate Army)
1839 James Mason Crafts US chemist (Friedel-Crafts-synthesis)
1840 Franco Faccio Italian composer/conductor
1841 Oliver Wendell Holmes Massachusetts, 59th Supreme Court justice (1902-32)
1843 Per Jonas Fredrik Vilhelm Svedbom composer
1847 Karl von Bach German engineer (Maschinenelemente)
1853 Edward Hubertus Joannes Keurvels Flemish composer (Parisina)
1854 Tom Felix Horan cricketer (Ireland Pioneering Australia all-rounder)
1857 Ruggiero Leoncavallo Italian composer (I pagliacci/Zaza)
1859 Kenneth Grahame author (The Wind, Willows)
1859 Otto Taubmann composer
1862 Joseph Lee helped develop playgrounds
1865 Frederick William Goudy US, printer/type designer
1872 Paul Juon Russian/Swiss violinist/composer
1876 Franco Alfano Italian opera composer (Il dottore Antonio)
1879 M Lichnowsky writer
1879 Otto Hahn German physicist/chemist (Nobel 44, radiothorium/actinium, co-discoverer-nuclear fission)
1883 Manuel Gomez Carillo composer
1886 Anton Portielje Dutch radio host/zoo director (Artis)
1886 Edward Kendall chemist, isolated cortisone (Nobel 1950)
1888 Stuart Chase Somersworth NH, writer/economist (Tragedy of Waste)
1889 Oscar Ewing US government official (Everybody's Business)
1890 Oswald von Nell-Breuning German theologist/philosopher
1892 Mátyás Rákosi Hungarian party leader/premier (1952-53)
1894 Wäinö V Aaltonen Finnish sculptor
1898 Louise Beavers Cincinnati OH, actress (Beulah-Beulah, Made for Each Other)
1898 Theophilus E Dönges South African minister of Internal Affairs
1899 Eric Linklater Scotland, novelist/poet/historical writer (Blue Swallows)
19-- Jason Kincaid actor (All My Children)
19-- Johnny Ventura Santo Domingo DR, Spanish singer (El Caballo Negro)
19-- Rita Walter actress (As the World Turns)
1902 Jennings Randolph (Senator)
1907 Charles Boost movie critic
1909 Anthony Donato composer
1909 Claire Trevor [Wemlinger] New York NY, actress (Murder My Sweet, Marjorie Morningstar)
1909 Hugh Murphy English multi-millionaire
1911 Alan Hovhaness Somerville MA, composer (Lousadzak, Ukiyo)
1911 Elsie Agnes Giorgi physician/humanitarian
1914 Jacob B Bakema urban developer (St Louis MO)
1915 Vivien John artist
1916 R W Schnell writer
1917 A Marja [ATE Mooy], Dutch literary (Shreds on the River)
1918 Alan Hale [MacKahan] Jr Los Angeles CA, actor (Skipper Jonas Grumby-Gilligan's Island)
1919 Ivor Keys musician/teacher
1920 Eileen Herlie Glasgow Scotland, actress (Myrtle Fargate-All My Children, Hamlet)
1920 Eva Dahlbeck Saltsjo-Duvnas Sweden, actress (Dreams, Lesson in Love)
1920 James Daniel "Danny" Turner saxophonist
1921 Cyd Charisse [Tula Ellice Finklea] Amarillo TX, dancer/actress (East Side West Side, Brigadoon)
1921 Egbert George "Pete" Pitterson trumpeter
1922 Carl Furillo Brooklyn Dodger (National League Batting Champion 1953)
1922 H Kipphardt writer
1923 Booth Colman Portland OR, actor (Zaius-Planet of the Apes)
1923 Juan M G "Wancho" Evertsz premier of Dutch Antilles (NVP, 1973-77)
1923 Sembene Ousmane Senegalese author/novelist/director (Doctor Noir)
1924 Sean McClory Dublin Ireland, actor (Jack-Californians, My Chauffeur)
1924 Victor "Toby" Neuberg teacher/writer
1925 Darwin Horacio Vargas-Wallis composer
1925 Francisco Rabal Aguilas Spain, actor (Holy Innocents, Camorra)
1925 Petrus Steenkamp Dutch politician (KVP/CDA)
1927 Jaromir Podesva composer
1927 Joseph Berg composer
1928 Frank Michael Beyer composer
1928 Judy Johnson Norfolk VA, singer (Your Show of Shows)
1931 John McPhee author (The Control of Nature)
1931 Neil Adcock cricketer (South African pace bowler, 104 wickets 1953-62)
1933 Johnny Dollar singer
1934 Christian Wolff composer
1934 Ron Taylor Sydney Australia, cinematographer (Those Amazing Animals)
1936 Gabor Szabo Hungarian jazz pianist (Perfect Circle)
1936 Sue Ane Langdon Paterson NJ, actress (Bachelor Father, Arnie)
1937 Juvenal Hayarimana president of Rwanda (1973-94)
1937 Pamela McEvoy-Johnston psychotherapist-board member (WIC)
1937 Raynoma Gordy [Mayberry], US orchestra leader (Rayber Voices)
1938 Lew DeWitt Roanoke VA, country singer (Statler Brothers-Flowers on the Wall)
1939 George William Reed astronomy writer/cartoonist (Dark Sky Legacy)
1939 Jim Bouton Newark NJ, pitcher (New York Yankees)/author (Ball Four)
1939 Lydia Skoblikova USSR, speed skater (Olympics-6 gold-1960, 64)
1939 Mike Lowry (Representative-Democrat-WA, 1979- )
1939 Robert Tear Barry Wales, tenor (Welsh National Opera 1970)
1939 Yannis Vlachopoulos composer
194- Alan Sues Ross CA, comedian/actor (Laugh-In, Oh Heavenly Dog)
1940 Leslie Isben Rogge one of FBI's most wanted
1940 Susan Clark Sarnia Ontario, actress (Night Moves, Webster)
1940 Theo Laseroms [The Tank], Dutch soccer player (Feyenoord)
1941 Ivana Loudova composer
1941 Yvar Emilian Mikhashoff composer
1942 [Dick] Richie Allen baseball player (American League MVP 1972)
1942 Ann Packer-Brightwell England, 400 meter/800 meter runner (Olympics-gold-1964)
1943 Lynn Redgrave London England, actress (Georgie Girl) Weight-Watcher
1944 Carole Bayer Sager NY, aka Mrs Burt Bachrach, singer (Arthur)
1945 Graeme Watson cricketer (Australian opening batsman 5 Tests 1966-72)
1945 Jim Chapman (Representative-Democrat-TX, 1985- )
1945 Keith Jarrett pianist/composer
1945 Mickey Dolenz Los Angeles CA, actor (Circus Boy) singer (Monkees)
1946 Mohammad Nazir Pakistani cricket off-spinner (14 Tests 1969-83)
1946 Randy Meisner rock bassist/vocalist (Poco, Eagles-Take it Easy)
1947 Mike Allsup Modesto CA, rock guitarist (Three Dog Night)
1948 [Little] Peggy March [Margaret Battavio] Lansdale PA, vocalist (I Will Follow Him)
1948 Ralph Ellis Liverpool England, rhythm guitarist (Swinging Blue Jeans-You're No Good)
1949 Charles Lismont Belgian marathon runner (Olympics-silver-1972)
1951 Philippe Henri Edmonds cricketer in Zambia, England slow left-arm
1952 Vladimir Vladimirovich Vasyutin USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-14)
1953 Jim Rice Boston Red Sox outfielder (American League MVP 1978)
1953 Kathleen Ann Shower Brookville OH, Playmate of the Year (May 1985)
1954 Cheryl Baker rock vocalist (Bucks Fizz-My Camera Never Lies, Making Your Mind Up)
1954 David Wilkie England, 200 meter backstroke swimmer (Olympics-gold-1976)
1954 Karl Schnabl 90 meter ski jumper (Olympics-gold-1976)
1954 Maria-Therese Nadig Switzerland, skier (Olympics-2 gold-1972)
1957 Cynthia Rothrock Wilmington DE, actress (Lady Dragon, Honor & Glory)
1957 Ruth Wysocki Alhambra CA, 800 meter/1500 meter runner
1958 Andreas Maurer West Germany, tennis star
1958 Gary Numan [Gary Webb] Hammersmith England, vocalist (Cars, Dominion Day)
1959 Aidan Quinn Chicago IL, actor (Legends of the Fall, Michael Collins, Benny & Joon, Reackless)
1960 Buck Williams NBA forward (Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks)
1961 Larry Murphy Scarborough, NHL defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs)
1962 Shaun Gayle NFL strong safety (San Diego Chargers)
1962 William Fuller NFL defensive end (Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers)
1963 Gursharan Singh cricketer (Indian batsman played one Test 1989-90)
1963 Kathy Ireland model/actress (Alien From LA, Side Out)
1963 Mike Lalor Buffalo, NHL defenseman (Dallas Stars)
1964 Cheryl "Salt" James singer (Salt-N-Pepa)
1964 Peter "Ged" Gill drummer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood-2 Tribes)
1965 Kenny Smith NBA guard (Houston Rockets)
1966 Elliot Boult Blenheim New Zealand, Australasia golfer
1966 Holly Ann Salo Keani AK, Miss Alaska-America (1990)
1966 Laura McCabe cross country skier (Olympics-1994)
1967 Brent Fedyk Yorkton, NHL left wing (Dallas Stars)
1967 Dale Joseph CFL defensive back (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
1968 Clare Wood Zululand South Africa, tennis star (1986 Futures-Lisbon)
1968 Rob Zettler Sept-iles, NHL defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs)
1969 Andrea Parker actress (Miss Parker-The Pretender)
1970 Harry Decheiver soccer player (RKC)
1970 Jason Elam NFL kicker (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)
1970 Rhett Harty Pasedena CA, US soccer player (Olympics-92)
1970 Vadim Bekboulatov NHL forward (Belarus, Olympics-98)
1971 Bob Boughner Windsor, NHL defenseman (Buffalo Sabres)
1971 Marc Tobert CFL slot back (Edmonton Eskimos)
1972 Craig Johnson St Paul MN, NHL left wing (Los Angeles Kings/Olympics-1994)
1972 Pat Riley NFL defensive end (Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks)
1972 Takuro Abe WLAF linebacker (Amsterdam Admirals)
1973 Kendell Watkins NFL tight end (Dallas Cowboys)
1973 Nanette Pearson Pleasant Grove UT, Miss America-Utah (1996)
1974 Steve Sarkisian CFL quarterback (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
1974 Toran James linebacker (San Diego Chargers)
1975 Brett Conway NFL kicker (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1975 Kenny Wheaton cornerback (Dallas Cowboys)
1976 Freddie Prinze Jr actor (I Know What You Did Last Summer)
1977 James Van Der Beek actor (Dawson's Creek)
1977 Petr Devyatkin hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)

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Deaths which occurred on March 08:
0883 Albumasar [Ahmad Aboe M Gafar al-Balkhi], Arabic astronomer, dies
1144 Celestine II [Guido], Italian Pope (1143-44), dies in battle
1403 Bajezid I Jildirim 4th sultan of Turkey (1389-1403), dies at 42
1466 Francesco Sforza Italian condottiere/duke of Milan, dies at 64
1550 Juan de Dios Port/Sp saint (Brothers of Mercy), dies at 55
1638 Jacob C van Neck Admiral/mayor of Amsterdam, dies at about 73
1640 Guillaume van Messaus composer, dies at 50
1661 Jules Mazarin Italian cardinal/premier of France, dies at 58
1702 John de Baen portrait painter/etcher, buried at 69
1702 William III Dutch King of England (1689-1702), dies at 51
1709 William Cowper/Cooper English anatomist, dies at about 62
1716 Harald Vallerius composer, dies at 69
1720 Georg Bronner composer, dies at 53
1724 Enrico Giovanni Zuccalli Swiss architect, dies at about 81
1728 Gian M Crescimbeni Italian literary/critic (Arcadia), dies at 64
1734 Carolomannus Pachschmidt composer, dies at 33
1754 Don José de Carvajal bon Lancaster Spanish minister of Foreign affairs, dies
1828 Johann Anton Sulzer composer, dies at 75
1862 Adrien de La Fage composer, dies at 56
1862 Nat Gordon last pirate, hanged in New York NY for stealing 1,000 slaves
1869 Louis Hector Berlioz French composer (Symphony Fantastic), dies at 65
1874 Millard Fillmore 13th President (1850-53), dies of at 74
1887 Pavel Annenkov Russian literature historian/critic, dies at 73
1889 Jens/John Ericsson Sweden/US, engineer (fire extinguisher), dies at 85
1901 Karl Freiherr von Stumm-Halberg German politician, dies at 64
1901 Peter Benoit Flemish composer/conductor (High Mass), dies at 66
1917 Ferdinand von Zeppelin Dutch count/air pioneer, dies at 78
1919 Auguste Tolbecque composer, dies at 88
1920 Rafael Obligado Argentine writer (Santos Vega), dies at 69
1923 Johannes S van der Waals Dutch physicist (Nobel 1910), dies at 85
1930 William Howard Taft 27th US President (1909-13)/Chief Justice, dies at 72
1931 Clara Kathleen Rogers composer, dies at 87
1932 Jan de Louter Dutch lawyer/tutor of Queen Wilhelmina, dies at 84
1936 Peter H J "Piet" van Doorne director BOVA Red Peppers, executed at 52
1937 Albert Verwey Dutch poet/literature historian (Motion), dies at 71
1941 Jose Serrano Simeon composer, dies at 67
1941 Sherwood Anderson US writer/publisher (Winesburg OH), dies at 64
1942 José R Capablanca Cuban chess player (world champion 1927), dies at 53
1945 H J Jamin Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Buchenwald
1945 Jan Beekes resistance fighter, executed at 26
1950 Jaroslav Kocian composer, dies at 67
1951 John Winter Thompson composer, dies at 83
1951 The Honeymoon Killers (Martha Beck & Raymond Fernandez) die in electric chair
1954 Percy Twentyman-Jones cricketer (pair in only Test for South Africa), dies
1955 Clementine Princess of Belgium, wife of V Napoleon Bonaparte, dies at 82
1957 Othmar Schoeck composer, dies at 70
1958 Josephina OFF "Frieda" Herberich actress (Salontiroler), dies at 85
1959 Abdel Wahab Shawwaf Iraqi Colonel/putschist, murdered
1961 Thomas Beecham English conductor (Last Night of the Prom), dies at 81
1963 John Hartley cricketer (bowl average 115 in 2 Tests for England 1906), dies
1965 Esther Howard actress (Detour), dies of heart attack at 72
1967 John F Bothwell actor (Freckles-Our Gang), dies at 46
1971 Harold Lloyd US comic/actor (Why Worry), dies of cancer at 77
1973 Gordon Leggat cricketer (9 Tests for New Zealand, 351 runs at 21 93), dies
1973 Ron "Pigpen" McKernan rocker (Grateful Dead, Grass Roots), dies at 27
1974 Christian van Geel Dutch poet/sculptor (Spinroc), dies at 56
1974 Willem "Wim" Sonneveld Dutch actor (Silk Stockings), dies at 56
1975 George Stevens US director (Swing Time, Gunga Din), dies at 70
1977 Henry Hull actor (Werewolf of London, Boys Town), dies at 86
1979 Gérard Blitz Dutch 400 meter swimmer (WR), dies at 78
1983 William T Walton English composer (Belhazzar's feast), dies at 80
1985 Edward Andrews actor (Broadside), dies of a heart attack at 70
1985 Thomas Creighton US heart patient (3 implants in 46 hours), dies at 33
1986 Hubert Fichte writer, dies at 50
1992 Red Callender US jazz bassist (Unfinished dream), dies at 76
1993 Billy Eckstine jazz singer (Fools Rush In), dies at 78 of stroke
1993 Johan Bodegraven radio host (Purses Open, Dikes Closed), dies at 78
1993 Joop Scheltens TV host/director (Explore Your Place), dies at 69
1993 Wells Root US screenwriter (Prisoner of Zenda), dies at 92
1994 John Ewart Sydney Australia, dies of cancer at 55
1994 Joop C Swart publisher/founder (World Press Photo), dies at 69
1994 Knut Haukelid Norway/US resistance fighter (Rjukan 1943), dies at 82
1995 Ota Adler Czechoslovakian/British fur trader (Jewish Aid Fund), dies at 83
1995 Paul George Vincent O'Shaughnessy Horgan novelist, dies at 91
1996 Alison McCartney pathologist/Breast Cancer campaigner, dies at 45
1996 Jack Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill commando, dies at 89
1996 Paul Lewis Harrhy actor/opera singer (Intelligence Park), dies at 38
1997 Alexander Salkind producer (Superman), dies at 75

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On this day...
1418 Jacoba van Bayern marries her cousin John IV van Brabant
1586 Johan van Oldenbarnevelt becomes Dutch chief legal advisor
1658 Peace of Roskilde between Sweden & Denmark
1702 England's Queen Anne ascends throne upon death of King William III
1706 Vienna's Wiener Stadtbank established
1711 Antoin de Guiscard tries English premier Haley for murder
1722 Afghan monarch Mir Mahmud occupies Persia
1746 Cumberland's troops occupy Aberdeen
1754 Marquis of Ensenada becomes premier of Spain
1766 Willem V (18) becomes Governor of United Provinces
1782 Gnadenhutten Massacre: Ohio militia kills 90 Indians
1801 British drive French forces from Abukir, Egypt
1813 1st concerto of Royal Philharmonic
1838 US mint in New Orleans begins operation (producing dimes)
1854 US Commodore Matthew C Perry's 2nd trip to Japan
1855 1st train crosses 1st US railway suspension bridge, Niagara Falls
1858 Leoncavallo's opera "I Pagliacci" is produced (Naples)
1861 St Augustine FL surrenders to Union armies
1862 Battle of Elkhorn Tavern ends with Confederate withdrawal
1862 Confederate ironclad "Merrimack" launched
1862 Naval Engagement at Hampton Roads VA: CSS Virginia, Jamestown & Yorktown vs USS Cumberland, Congress & Monitor
1865 Battle of Kingston NC (Wilcox's ridge, Wise's Forks)
1884 1st performance of Edward MacDowell's 2nd Piano suite
1887 Everett Horton, Connecticut, patents fishing rod of telescoping steel tubes
1894 New York passes 1st state dog license law
1896 Volunteers of America forms (New York NY)
1898 Richard Straus' "Don Quixote" premieres in Keulen
1900 National League decides to go with 8 teams They exclude Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville & Washington (in 1953 Boston Braves move to Milwaukee)
1902 1st performance of Jean Sibelius' 2nd Symphony
1904 Hugh Trumble takes a hat-trick in his final Test Cricket match
1906 Stanley Cup: Ottawa Silver 7 sweep Smiths Falls (Ontario) in 2 games
1908 Collingwood Elementary (Cleveland) burns, kills 173 kids & 2 teachers
1908 Dutch utopist Frederick of Eden speaks in Carnegie Hall, New York
1910 Baroness Raymonde de Laroche of Paris France becomes 1st licensed female pilot
1911 International Women's Day (1st celebrated)
1913 Federal League organizes with 6 teams
1913 Internal Revenue Service begins to levy & collect income taxes
1915 1st US navy minelayer, Baltimore, commissioned
1916 US invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime
1917 Russian revolution breaks out (in Petrograd/St Petersburg)
1917 US invades Cuba for 3rd time
1920 Denmark & Cuba join the League of Nations
1924 Coal mine explosion kills 171 at Castle Gate UT
1927 Pan American Airlines incorporates
1929 US worker union commission reports of slavery in Liberia
1930 Babe Ruth signs 2-year contract for $160,000 with New York Yankee GM Ed Barrow, wrongly predicts "No one will ever be paid more than Ruth"
1930 Mahatma Gandhi starts civil disobedience in India
1934 Edwin Hubble photo shows as many galaxies as Milky Way has stars
1939 Lenore Coffee & William Joyce Cowan's "Family Portrait" premieres
1941 1st baseball player drafted into WWII (Hugh Mulcahy, Phillies)
1942 Japanese forces captures Rangoon Burma
1942 KNIL, Dutch colonial army on Java, surrenders to Japanese armies
1943 335 allied bombers attack Neurenberg
1943 Limited gambling legalized in Mexico
1943 US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Gretchen Merrill
1943 US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Arthur Vaughn
1944 US resumes bombing Berlin
1945 "Kiss Me Kate" opens in Britain
1945 53 Amsterdammers executed by Nazi occupiers
1945 International Women's Day is 1st observed
1945 Phyllis M Daley is 1st black nurse sworn-in as US Navy ensign
1946 1st helicopter licensed for commercial use (New York NY)
1948 Supreme Court rules relg instructions in pub schools unconstitutional
1949 WAGA TV channel 5 in Atlanta GA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1949 WBAP-FM, Fort Worth TX, begins broadcasting
1950 1st woman medical officer assigned to naval vessel (BR Walters)
1950 Marshall Voroshilov of USSR announces they developed atomic bomb
1951 International Table Tennis Federation bans Egypt (for refusing to play Israel)
1952 Antoine Pinay forms French government
1953 "Two's Company" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 90 performances
1953 Census indicates 239,000 farmers gave up farming in last 2 years
1953 KSWO TV channel 7 in Lawton OK (ABC) begins broadcasting
1953 Patty Berg wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1953 WFMJ TV channel 21 in Youngstown OH (NBC) begins broadcasting
1954 Herb McKinley sets ¼ mile record of 0 :6.8 in Melbourne, Australia
1957 1st performance of David Diamond's 6th Symphony in Boston
1957 Israeli troops leave Egypt; Suez Canal re-opened for minor ships
1957 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1958 Silky Sullivan comes from 40 lengths back to win by 3 at Santa Anita
1958 William Faulkner says US schools degenerated to become babysitters
1959 Groucho, Chico & Harpo's final TV appearance together
1959 KUAT TV channel 6 in Tucson AZ (PBS) begins broadcasting
1959 Mickey Wright wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1959 Pro-Egyptian coup fails in Mosul Iraq
1960 "Greenwillow" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 95 performances
1961 Jean Kerr's "Mary, Mary" premieres in New York NY
1961 US nuclear submarine Patrick Henry arrives at Scottish naval base of Holy Loch from South Carolina in a record underseas journey of 66 days 22 hours
1962 Beatles, with Pete Best, TV debut (perform "Dream Baby" on BBC)
1962 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1963 Syrian Arab Republic Revolution Day: Military coup in Syria
1965 1st US combat forces arrive in South Vietnam (3,500 Marines)
1966 "Golden Boy" closes at Majestic Theater NYC after 569 performances
1966 An IRA bomb destroyed Nelson's Column in Dublin
1966 Casey Stengel elected to Hall of Fame
1967 New Orleans Saints begin selling season tickets (20,000 sold 1st day)
1968 6 year old Tommy Moore scores hole-in-one in golf (Hagerstown MD)
1968 Fillmore East opens
1968 Students demonstrate in Warsaw
1969 Marriage of 12 year old Marcella Rosciglione in Palermo Italy
1970 WTCI TV channel 45 in Chattanooga TN (PBS) begins broadcasting
1971 Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden (New York NY)in 15, retains heavyweight boxing title
1971 Milwaukee Bucks win their 20th straight NBA game (team record)
1971 Radio Hanoi broadcasts Jimi Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner"
1972 1st airship flown over Britain in 20 years (Europa)
1972 1st flight of the Goodyear blimp
1973 Eisenhower Tunnel, world's highest/US longest, opens
1973 Paul & Linda McCartney are fined £100 for growing cannabis
1973 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1974 Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris France
1975 Royal Canadian Mint announces branch opening in Winnipeg Manitoba
1976 1,774 kg (largest observed) stony meteorite falls in Jilin, China
1977 Henry L Marsh III elected mayor of Richmond
1977 Princess Anne announces she's expecting her 1st child (Peter)
1979 1st extraterrestrial volcano discovered (Jupiter's satellite Io)
1979 5th People's Choice Awards
1979 China withdraws invasion troops from Vietnam
1979 Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) transported 38 miles overland from Palmdale
1980 Greg Chappell 235 & Yallop 172, for 217 stand at Faisalabad
1980 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1981 "Shakespeare's Cabaret" closes at Bijou Theater NYC after 54 performances
1981 Dennis Lillee ct by Queensland 12th man Dennis Lillie in Shield game
1981 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Arizona Copper Golf Classic
1983 House Foreign Affairs Committee endorses nuclear weapons freeze with USSR
1983 IBM releases PC DOS version 2.0
1983 President Reagan calls the USSR an "Evil Empire"
1986 4 French TV crew members are abducted in west Beirut Lebanon
1986 Japanese probe Suisei passes Halley's Comet at 109,800 km
1986 Martina Navratilova is 1st tennis player to earn $10 million
1987 17th Easter Seal Telethon raises $35,184,425
1987 David Hookes (306) Wayne Phillips make 462 stand for South Australia
1987 FBI apprehends most wanted Claude L Dallas, Jr in California
1987 Jane Geddes wins LPGA GNA/Glendale Federal Golf Classic
1987 Nelli Cooman becomes world champion 60 meter indoor
1989 "Heidi Chronicles" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 621 performances
1989 Roger Kingdom runs indoor world record 60 meter hurdles (7.37 seconds)
1990 NYC's Zodiac killer shoots 1st victim, Mario Orosco
1991 17th People's Choice Awards: Julia Roberts, Bill Cosby, Pretty Woman
1991 Harry Hamlin & Nicollette Sheridan wed
1991 Planeloads of US troops arrive home from the Persian Gulf, Iraq hands over 40 foreign journalists & 2 American soldiers it captured
1991 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1992 22nd Easter Seal Telethon
1992 Judy Dickinson wins LPGA Inamori Golf Classic
1993 Katharine Hepburn released from the hospital after exhaustion
1993 Nigerian singer Fela Kuti arrested again on suspicion of murder
1994 20th People's Choice Awards
1994 B737 collides with Ilyushin-86 in New Dehli, at least 8 killed
1994 Defense Department announces smoking ban in workplaces
1994 Train accident at Pinetown, Natal kills 47
1995 -26ºF (-32.2ºC) in Bismarck ND
1995 -44ºF (-42.2ºC) in Chosedacharad, Komi-district, on 67ºN
1995 Costis Stephanopoulos becomes President of Greece
1995 Dutch Liberal Party wins Provincial-National elections

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

China, Cuba, Mauritania, Mongolia, USSR : International Women's Day
Egypt, Libya, Syria : Syrian Revolution Day (1963)
Memphis TN : Cotton Carnival (held for 5 days) - - - - - ( Tuesday )
New Mexico : Arbor Day - - - - - ( Friday )

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Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Memorial of St John of God, confessor (optional)

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Religious History
1698 The first meeting convened of the British group which later formed the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK).
1711 In this date's edition of "The Spectator," English essayist Joseph Addison wrote: 'To be an atheist requires an infinitely greater measure of faith than to receive all the great truths which atheism would deny.'
1740 Colonial revivalist Gilbert Tennent, 37, preached his famous sermon, "The Danger of An Unconverted Ministry." The message, assaulting opponents of the Great Awakening, contributed to the first schism within the American Presbyterian Church between the Old Side and New Side. (In 1758 the two divisions were reunited.)
1887 Death of Henry Ward Beecher, 73, American clergyman and social reformer. His last words were: 'Going out into life" that is dying.'
1921 The United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Australia was organized at Ebenezer, in South Australia. In 1966 the UELCA united with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia (ELCA) to form the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA).

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Thought for the day :
"Quit work and play for once."

[condi2008]

Bumping for Homeschooled WWII students.

[HighWheeler]

Thanks for the quotes!

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Sam everyone!

[Soaring Feather]

Just cause!

[apackof2]

You can't forget General Patton's love of dogs

It's well known, that General George S. Patton was an avid animal lover. He bought the first of many bull terriers just after World War I for his girls, Beatrice and Ruth Ellen, and named him Tank. Although Tank turned out to be stone deaf, the girls loved him and called him by thumping on the floor. In spite of his deafness, Tank some how always knew when Patton was arriving home and always met him at the front door.

But the most famous bull terrier owned by General Patton was purchased on March 4, 1944, and was named Willie, short for "William the Conqueror." Willie was devoted to the General, and followed him everywhere.

When General Patton bought Willie, he wrote in his diary, "My bull pup . . . took to me like a duck to water. He is 15 months old, pure white except for a little lemin [sic] on his tail which to a cursory glance would seem to indicate that he had not used toilet paper. . ."

Willie wore jingle bells on his collar so everyone would know when he was around and he was rumored to be a prodigious "lover." He also supposedly had his own set of "dog tags," too!

[manna]

Present!

[Trteamer]

Good Morning SAMWolf! Just swinging by to let our troops know that we will be FReeping the leftists in four cities here in Colorado starting three hours from now.

I have a new 4 x 8 foot neon double sided sign that says "Armed Forces, THANK YOU!!" and "Support Our Troops!". It will be seen. Hopefully the wind won't take me for a ride, LOL!

All the Best and keep an eye out for our pictures on Operation Infinite FReep later today.
All the Best,