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Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Patton's Speech to the Third Army
7 comments:
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Anonymous said...
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Had a dream last night.. one of those revelation types. Was about early days of struggle, disease, hardship, etc. A real eye opener.
America as a society is toast. What a bunch of coddled, spoiled children. No clue of history whatsoever.
Had a mind's eye vision couple 15+ years ago, the Indiana Jones huge rolling ball come to crush all that is right. Got involved in politics, letters to editor, active dissent... all pissing in the wind!
Pray for my kids and grandkids, that's probably all I can do. Sorry to be down in the mouth. No bastards like George S or George C left these days. wmprof -
2/27/07, 10:30 AM
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Rodger the Real King of France said...
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Yes there are ... we!
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2/27/07, 10:36 AM
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Anonymous said...
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That film was made "post victory" so of course movie makers cashed in on it.
IF we're allowed to win in the Mid East, will this Hollyweird generation make a victory film or a lousy eveeel amerikan "how we cheated to win" movie?
My daughter will head back to deployment this April and I've never been more fucking pissed off about our chances to succeed. Sumsofbitches money grubbing politicians will continue to rob our wallets for every stinking social program that undermines God and Country that will leave our sovereignty hanging in the wind. There's more sailor mouth but I'll stop here. -
2/27/07, 11:44 AM
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Rodger the Real King of France said...
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I don't see ''sailer mouth.'' I see justified, passionate exclamation!
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2/27/07, 11:53 AM
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Anonymous said...
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I agree Rog. I didn't bother with the review, since I had this poetic address memorized as a lad. We're going to murder those lousy _________ bastards by the bushel! Spill their blood! Shoot them in the belly!
There is a travesty in this war. The 5.56 round is bullshit. Making grunts carry 5.56, and the plastic toys that shoot them, so that girls can qualify on the range too, has cost us good men. I once bought the rhetoric of efficacy of the 5.56 round. When you can shoot a man center of mass twice, and he's still standing, you're carrying the wrong weapon.
Casca -
2/27/07, 11:55 AM
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Anonymous said...
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Casca, I agree that the infantry is no place for girlies, especially if it requires lowering standards to fit them in, because that's BS. On the other hand our daughter will be firing the big guns on an AC-130H/U. God love her courage, I never had that type myself.
Thanks Rodger, you're too kind. -
2/27/07, 12:03 PM
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Anonymous said...
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That scene is very nearly a verbatim recitation of a frequently delivered speech by Patton. (The changes were in the removal of foul language – which has to mark the last time Hollywood has ever done that.) In so many ways it shows Patton’s genius.
For example, notice how he compares combat (something no one in his real-life audiences had experienced) with sports - from marbles to boxing (something that everyone in his audiences – from the most bookish to the most aggressive – had experienced).
He addresses their greatest fear: “whether you will chicken out”, but does so in the most basic of terms. He then dispels this fear with his straightforward, un-nuanced assurance that they “will do (their) duty”.
He shows his supreme confidence in them by having to struggle to restrain himself from laughing at just how sorry he feels for the enemy (who, at the time was far better equipped, better trained, and more experienced than we were - and was fighting on his own territory clear on the other side of the Atlantic ocean).
He tells them exactly what he expects of them with concrete metaphors and similes. “…wade into them, shoot them in the belly, spill their blood … hold ‘em by the nose and kick ‘em the ass” (the last one being exactly how he defeated Rommel in Africa, took Palermo, etc.).
Then he transports them from that unknown future battlefield further into their future – a future of security and pride where they enjoy admiring descendants sitting on their knees. Notice how he doesn’t tell them what they will tell their grandchildren that they did in the “Great World War II”. He leaves that glory unspoken for each man to imagine for himself. What he tells them instead is the only thing he really knows, and that is that they won’t be ashamed of having just “shoveled shit in Louisiana”.
Then he makes it clear that he is going to go into battle with them. In fact, he is looking forward to going into battle with them – “I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere.”
What is so damned amazing is just how many people in America today view this scene as a stinging indictment of George S. Patton and indeed of all Americans who “play to win” and love their country. Sure Patton had to watch when and where he expressed such sentiments, but over half a century ago it wasn’t because most Americans disagreed with them. Today a pussy like John Kerry is nearly elected president and Jimmy Carter is admired as a “statesman”.
Well, I am sure as hell proud of all that our servicemen have done (and yes, that means the women, too). In less than 90 days after 9/11 they brought Afghanistan to its knees in unconditional surrender. (Russia, are you paying attention?) Within 6 months of 9/11 we were well on the way to doing the same thing to Iraq – which today is serving as a bated field for every half-assed, murdering martyr who would otherwise be blowing themselves up in some nursery school over here.
That is all. -
2/28/07, 11:50 AM
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