George Smith Patton, III
General and Churchman
[December 9th]
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 upon 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.
[Collect issued by order of the Commanding General, December 1944, Third US Army, France]
St. George Window
Does God still train up faithful warriors? In Psalm 144 we hear David say,
"Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight... "
David, whose heart was right with God, sings praises to his heavenly Father and credits Almighty God for his vitality and amazing success in battle. In addition, the bible recounts David's many mighty men that God gave him according to the word of the Lord. Has God in his providence raised up mighty warriors in our time? Today, let us consider one of the most famouns warriors of modern times" General George S. Patton, Commander of the US Third Army.
George Stroop wrote, "Patton, known throughout his life as "Georgie" was born Nov 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, CA, to George Smith Patton Jr, and Ruth Wilson. "Georgie spent his childhood listening to stories of military heros. Both his father and grandfather, Col. George S. Patton, had attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where Patton's favorite hero, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson had taught. The elder Patton had been a colonel in the Confederacy in the War Between the States, and had been killed at the front of his brigade, the 22nd Virginia Infantry, at the Battle of Cedar Creek in 1864. Actually, George Jr. had no less than 7 uncles that fought for the Confederacy. Various Confederate heros had befriended the family after the war, namely John Singleton Mosby, the partisan cavalry leader. Patton had sat on Mosby's knee, listening to stories of daring and heroism by Mosby, and Mosby's close friend, General J.E.B. Stuart...Father and son made many trips to Virginia, visiting Civil War battlefields.... Patton was educated by his father, an influential attorney, in classical literature and history, notably the Illiad, Macaulay's Laws of Ancient Rome, and Kipling. He knew most of the Bible by heart before he could read."
Patton entered VMI and subsequently received an appointment to West Point. Upon graduation he served as Aide de Camp to General Pershing in 1916 in Mexico, and in WWI as a Captain commanding Pershing's Headquarters Company. He was then promoted to Major and given command of a tank unit.
In World War Two Patton, who was the Army's foremost authority on Tank Warfare, served in a series of commands in Africa, Sicily, and then in Europe, finally as the commander of the Third Army. During the Battle of the Bulge, when Allied forces were tied up with unfavorable weather, he concluded that the only thing that could help was relief from God, and that the troops needed to enter prayer in earnest. He directed his chaplain to write the prayer, which opened this Lesson, for favorable weather and victory. He issued 250,000 copies of it to his Army... and his men prayed. I believe God answered that prayer. The weather cleared, the ground froze solid, and Patton quicky moved his armored columns to relieve the 101st Airborne Division encircled at Bastonge, France, and broke the German's offensive.. the last of the war (to the somewhat amazament not only of the Germans, but also to the allies). He and the Third went on to distinguish themselves in every engagement.
Stroop wrote, "Though belied by his rough language, peppered generously with four-letter expletives, Patton was an extremely religious man. He prayed in earnest every morning, night, and anytime that he felt he needed divine assistance in his performance or making decisions. For a time, Beatrice [his wife], though also receiving a Christian upbringing, really didn't understand George's constant praying. Once, before a polo match, she found Patton in the bedroom, polo mallet and helmet laying on the bed, on his knees praying. When he stood up, she asked him if he was praying for victory. Patton exclaimed, "Hell no, I'm praying that I do my best." Knowing that Patton felt that performing your best was always the most important thing, she then understood"
His chaplain wrote of him, "He had no use for half-measures. He wrote this line a few days before his death: 'Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition.' He was true to the principles of his religion, Episcopalian, and was regular in Church attendance and practices, unless duty made his presence impossible."
After hostilities ended, General Patton, commanding the 15th Army of Occupation, was involved in a automobile crash on 9 December, almost a year to the day after he directed his chaplain to write the prayer. He died of complications on 21 December, nearly one year from the day the skies cleared and the allied bombers were able to attack.
General Patton now rests in peace in Luxemburg, along with 30,000 of his troops who fought with him in the Battle of the Bulge.
History now accords to General Patton a place among America's greatest generals: I now ask you to consider: "Did God in his providence raise up Geogre S. Patton III, to follow in the steps of his ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary, the Mexican American, and the War Between the States, to be part of the winning team that crushed the evil of the Axis powers in World War II? I believe so, but then I believe that God in his omnipotence and omniscience has all things in his hands, and all things work for Good according to God's purposes. One day we shall know.
Cadet Patton, VMI