Posted on 12/05/2002 7:37:12 PM PST by CreekerFreeper
GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.'S PRAYER Below is the famous "Patton Prayer" and Christmas greeting sent to the men of the Third Army December 8, 1944:
"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."
Amen, brother!
Peacetime soldiers and the sort who rise to the top in peacetime are a different kettle of fish.
The men of iron are still there, but submerged in peacetime. They rise to the top as the peacetime "leaders" fall away. Hopefully this happens fast enough to avoid too many losses and casualties.
Bill Mauldin the "Stars & Stripes" cartoonist noted that many combat units in WWII in Italy had two sets of officers -- one for combat, the other for R&R in Naples. My dad (who was there) says Sgt. Bill was on the money.
(I'm not a soldier myself but I come from a family of civilian-soldiers all the way back to the French-and-Indian War, and I majored in military history.)
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