In all facet of human struggle or ascension, a word of motivation, pep-talk or a constant stir is needed to keep the momentum, break even or achieve a feat. We have seen this adrenaline muzzle pump out on many fields including medicine, sports, even in war!
One of the greatest war generals that the world have come to know is American – General S.Patton. At one point during the World War II, he was digging for a win and he used words to set men free from their malaise.
The beauty of those words no matter how profane they came are still useful in today’s bloodless battle.
Who is General George S.Patton
According to the History Channel, Patton, originally hoping to lead the Normandy invasion, was instead tasked with commanding a fictitious force in southeastern England, diverting German attention from the real D-Day landings. His decisive leadership led to the breakthrough in northern France and the relief of American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. In 1945, promoted to general, he led his army across the Rhine, capturing significant territory and aiding in Germany’s liberation from Nazi rule.
In 1945, Patton’s promotion to general coincided with his assignment to command the United States Fifteenth Army in occupied Germany. However, two months later, he suffered severe spinal cord and neck injuries in an auto accident, ultimately succumbing to a pulmonary embolism 12 days later, on December 21, 1945.
Throughout his career, Patton received numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Congressional Life Saving Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Mexican Service Badge, Victory Medal with four stars, and various foreign honors.
Here some excerpts from his speech to the third army division on June 5 1944:
1. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.
2. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men.
3. Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen.
4. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive.
5. Don’t ever let up. Don’t ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.
6. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy.
General Patton could be said to be reckless, stubborn or profane, but he is today a reference point for many when it comes to the art of war.
He told the army then in his famous speech that was translated word for word:
“From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don’t give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.”
“There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON’T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, ‘Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.’ No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, ‘Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!'”
At the end, the American troops, dust their feet, shook their bodies and took over Europe.
With the right words, valleys can shift base.
