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Gen. George Patton: Six not-so-gentle father-to-son tips

The new book, 'Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History, and Family Wisdom,' shares letters written by Gen. George Patton to his his son. Here are six pieces of advice from these letters.

5. On being a good soldier: know how man reacts

  • By Anna Mulrine Staff writer

"There are apparently two types of successful soldiers: those who get on by being unobtrusive and those who get on by being obtrusive. I am of the latter type and seem to be rare and unpopular, but it is my method. One has to choose a system and stick to it. People who are not themselves are nobody.

"To be a successful soldier, you must know history. Read it objectively. Dates and even the minute details of tactics are useless. What you must know is how man reacts. Weapons change but [the] man who uses them changes not at all. To win battles you do not beat weapons – you beat the soul of man, of the enemy man. To do that you have to destroy his weapons, but that is only incidental. You must read biography and especially autobiography. If you will do it you will find that war is simple.

"The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence – utter, complete and bumptious. You can have doubts about your good looks, about your intelligence, about your self-control; but to win a war, you must have no doubts about your ability as a soldier."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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