Posted by Michael Robert Patterson on July 4, 2004:

"Find The Bastards, Then Pile On." Standing Order for Troopers of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam issued by its commander, Colonel George S. Patton, III. General George S. Patton, 80, Son of World War II Commander, Dies By DAVID STOUT Courtesy of the New York Times June 30, 2004 Major General George S. Patton, the son and namesake of the World War II armored commander and a veteran of combat in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, died on Sunday at his home in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He was 80. General Patton, who retired from the Army in 1980, had been in poor health for years because of complications from hip surgery and other ailments, his wife, Joanne, said. The younger General Patton was occasionally asked whether he felt overshadowed by his father, who gained fame for his exploits in North Africa, Sicily and France and who was introduced to new generations of Americans through George C. Scott's movie portrayal. "I've never worried about it," the son said in an interview in 1977. "I've been too busy." The younger officer was wounded in one of his three Vietnam tours and was awarded a Purple Heart. He was twice awarded the distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest decoration for bravery in combat. George Smith Patton was in his last year at West Point when his father, George S. Patton Jr., was killed in a traffic accident in Germany in December 1945. For a time, the younger man was known as George S. Patton III, but he eventually dropped the Roman numeral, his wife said. General Patton acknowledged that, just as his father had, he demanded a spit-and-polish look from his soldiers. And like his father, he loved history and spoke French, Joanne Patton said. He received a master's in international affairs from George Washington University. As a colonel, he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. As a major general in 1975, he took command of the Second Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas. His father had led the division in North Africa. In 1964, the younger George Patton and other relatives objected to a new biography of the World War II commander, "Ordeal and Triumph," saying it used unauthorized material from the general's wartime diaries. Some material was deleted, and the book was published. In retirement, the General ran Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, north of Boston.Also surviving are three sons, George, of Hamilton; Robert, of Darien, Connecticut; and Benjamin, of New York; two daughters, Mother Margaret Patton, a nun in Bethlehem, Connecticut, and Helen Plusczyk of Saarbr?cken, Germany; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson. Wednesday, June 30, 2004 Son of the WWII general Patton dies at 80 By HELENA PAYNE COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BOSTON - Major General George S. Patton, son of the legendary World War II general of the same name, has died at age 80. Patton suffered from a form of Parkinson's disease and died on Sunday, said his wife, Joanne. A West Point graduate like his father, he saw combat in Korea and Vietnam. "Although he was very proud of his father, he was also very, very sensitive to comparisons and always asked that any reference to his lineage be dropped from any reports written about him," said his son Robert, of Darien, Connecticut. He was born George S. Patton IV but legally changed his name by dropping the Roman numeral. His great-grandfather was a Confederate soldier and his father led U.S. troops in Africa and Europe during World War II. Father and son both commanded the Army's Second Armored Division, the younger taking command at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1975. The younger Patton was wounded during the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart. Patton retired in 1980 and lived in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where he founded a farm and adjacent farm stand that sold blueberries, strawberries and other produce. He named the fields after Vietnam soldiers who died under his command. He is survived by three sons, two daughters, six grandchildren and a great-grandson. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Son Of World War II General Dies Patton Suffered From Parkinson's Variation June 30, 2004 Major General George Smith Patton, son of the famed World War II general of the same name, died at his home in Hamilton, Massachusetts, his wife said Wednesday. He was 80. Patton suffered a variation of Parkinson's disease and had endured a series of surgeries and three hip replacements before dying on Sunday, Joanne Patton said. "In his full abilities, he was forthright, candid and caring," she said. Although Patton followed in his father's footsteps, seeing his own combat duty in Korea and Vietnam, relatives say he was his own man. "Although he was very proud of his father, he was also very, very sensitive to comparisons and always asked that any reference to his lineage be dropped from any reports written about him," said Patton's son, Robert, of Darien, Connecticut. A 1946 West Point graduate, Patton came from a long line of Georges, including his great-grandfather, a Confederate soldier, his grandfather, a lawyer, and his father, who led U.S. troops in Africa and Europe during World War II. Major General George S. Patton was born George IV, but he legally changed his name by dropping the Roman numeral. Patton and his father both commanded the Second Armored Division -- the younger taking command at Fort Hood, Texas, in 1975. The younger Patton was wounded during the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart. Relatives said he had an easy manner, which made him approachable for his soldiers. "His personality was very informal and very comfortable," Robert Patton said. Even after Patton's retirement in 1980, he remained active, founding Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, where he named the fields after Vietnam soldiers who died under his command. The farm grows a variety of produce, including blueberries and strawberries. Joanne Patton said husband also enjoyed sailing, traveling and played "a wicked country guitar." But his nation always came first. "He used to say 'if (the military) would take 75-year-olds in uniform, I would go,"' she said. He is survived by three sons, George, of Hamilton; Robert; and Benjamin, of New York; his daughters, Mother Margaret Patton, a nun in Bethlehem, Connecticut, and Helen Plusczyk of Saarbrucken, Germany; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson. A funeral for family and friends is scheduled for July 7 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms Patton's wife said he always wanted to be buried near his soldiers. He'll be laid to rest August 27, 2004, at Arlington National Cemetery. General George S. Patton; Son of Famed WWII Leader By Matt Schudel Courtesy of the Washington Post Thursday, July 1, 2004 George S. Patton, who was the son of the famous World War II General and who became a Major General in the Army himself, died June 27, 2004, at his home in Hamilton, Mass., at age 80. He had a degenerative form of dementia. He was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy during World War II, when his father, General George S. Patton Jr., rose to prominence as one of the most beloved and feared Allied military leaders. The younger General Patton graduated from West Point in 1946 and spent 34 years in the Army. After his father's death in an automobile accident in 1945, he legally changed his name from George Patton IV to George Smith Patton. (There was no George Patton III.) He was a company commander in the Korean War and was a colonel during three tours in Vietnam, where he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, called the Blackhorse Regiment. Much like his father, whose nickname was "Old Blood and Guts," the younger General Patton received both plaudits and opprobrium for the zeal his forces demonstrated in battle. "Find the bastards and pile on" was his unit's motto in Vietnam. "I do like to see the arms and legs fly," he once told his soldiers. At his farewell party when he left Vietnam, then-Colonel Patton brandished a skull with a bullet hole through the forehead, according to an article in the New York Times Magazine. Over the years, General Patton was often asked about his father, and he chose a career in which comparisons were inevitable. "He didn't dwell on it," said his wife, Joanne Holbrook Patton. "It was a fact of life. He usually said, 'Yes, of course there is a responsibility, but it's also a privilege.' He said he couldn't dwell on it because he was too busy with his own career." General Patton received a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University, graduated from the Army's War College and did graduate study in management at Harvard. After Vietnam, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas -- the same unit his father had led in North Africa during World War II. He retired from the Army as a two-star general in 1980, having twice received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second-highest award for combat valor, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Purple Heart. After his retirement, General Patton settled on a 250-acre farm in rural Massachusetts. He began by raising blueberries, and more than 200 varieties of produce are now grown on the farm. He named the fields on his farm in honor of soldiers killed in combat under his command. In 1984, he called Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) "soft on communism" for his antiwar stance during the Vietnam War and charged that Kerry "gave aid and comfort to the enemy and probably caused some of my guys to get killed." Those statements have been resurrected by conservative commentators during the current presidential campaign. "My husband was outgoing and outspoken," his wife said. "I would not presume to speak for him today, but you must remember his troops and their welfare were the most important things to him." General Patton was posted to bases near Washington three times and, at the time of his retirement from the Army, lived in Bethesda. He and his wife were married in 1952 at Washington National Cathedral. None of their five children entered the military. Besides his wife, of Hamilton, survivors include five children, Margaret Georgina Patton of Bethlehem, Connecticut, George S. Patton Jr. of Hamilton, Robert H. Patton of Darien, Connecticut, Helen Patton-Plusczyk of Saarbrucken, Germany, and Benjamin Wilson Patton of New York; six grandchildren; and a great-grandson. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/gspatton.htm

admin