Althouse: "... a Goddamn coward..."

June 9, 2026

"... a Goddamn coward..."

Chris, reader of presidential biographies, sends me a photograph of the book he's reading:

81 comments:

Achilles said...: We sent them to work in the dining hall or mail room.

Some people just don’t have what it takes.; 6/9/26, 10:49 AM
gilbar said...: i wonder what the GOOD countries; like the Russians did?
Tim? could you let us know? how did the Russians treat 'psychoneurotic anxiety' ?; 6/9/26, 11:14 AM
bagoh20 said...: Cowards get people killed. It's not about the coward.; 6/9/26, 11:16 AM
Heartless Aztec said...: Every man is a different cup. When it finally fills up with horror it's full. No shame there. Some can take more than others. Some can't take any at all.; 6/9/26, 11:23 AM
tim maguire said...: In Patton, it was shell shock. The footnote here says the men were legitimately sick, just not injured. Maybe the movie changed it because the truth would have robbed Patton of all sympathy.

What's a "skulking soldier"? Was he listening in on the colonel's meetings? If so, he probably should have been shot.; 6/9/26, 11:24 AM
Milo Minderbinder said...: War is hell.; 6/9/26, 11:26 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: This incident almost cost Patton command of 3rd Army. When he misspoke at his Knutsford speech in April 44, Eisenhower had enough. He'd already decided based on slapping incident, to not promote Patton beyond Army command.

Patton was on thin ice, and Knutsford kerfuffle was the straw that broke the Generals back. Ike decided to sent Patton back to the USA. Fortunately, for Patton, Ike's choice to replace him was tied up at Anzio. So Eisenhower decided to reduce Patton to tears in a "You got one chance and you're out" lecture.; 6/9/26, 11:33 AM
narciso said...: Russian discipline is called devdochins it is often brutsl sometimes fatal; 6/9/26, 11:33 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Patton had served as an aide to MacArthur, while Big Mac was Chief-of-staff. And MacArthur liked him, but when he heard about the slapping incident, he decided to not have him in the Pacific. Too erratic.; 6/9/26, 11:34 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: BTW, I suggest anyone who didn't realize what a good politician Ike was, go to his Library and read his letters to George marshall. Eisenhower could have taught a course on how to manipulate your boss without really trying. And flatter him, without being a suck-up.; 6/9/26, 11:36 AM
RideSpaceMountain said...: Commander's sidearms are almost exclusively symbolic in nature. That he actually unholstered his in a fit of rage is shocking...I never knew that.

Gravely erratic career-ending behavior then, now, and forevermore. That he was brought back is equally shocking.; 6/9/26, 11:37 AM
Narr said...: My first guess was D'Este, but it may be Perret.; 6/9/26, 11:44 AM
narciso said...: That seems unlikely because his aide was general willoughby; 6/9/26, 11:48 AM
Yinzer said...: Ann, I'm not sure what to make of tim sending that to you, or your response without comment. It's as if these famous episodes are news to both of you. If you have never seen the movie 'Patton' with George C Scott I heartily recommend that you do so.; 6/9/26, 11:58 AM
narciso said...: We had a war to win patton was decidely more 19th century than 20th he saw what the cost of low morale would br; 6/9/26, 12:18 PM
tommyesq said...: Narciso,

I think Willoughby became Mac's aide shortly after WWII started. Mac was Chief of Staff in the early 30's, before he became whatever his title was - effectively king of the Philippines.; 6/9/26, 12:27 PM
narciso said...: And that was in the north african campaign which was a prelude to the main event; 6/9/26, 12:27 PM
narciso said...: Manchester may have been atar struck but perret abd others have been too dismissive; 6/9/26, 12:35 PM
Howard said...: bagoh20 said...
Cowards get people killed. It's not about the coward.

That's not true because most cowards find a way of avoiding military service.; 6/9/26, 12:41 PM
Quaestor said...: Patton’s famous ivory-gripped forty-fives were not a matched pair. One was an 1873-model Single Action Army, the standard United States cavalry trooper’s sidearm, familiar to non-pistoleers as the quintessential cowboy revolver. The only difference between Georgie’s SSA was its nickel finish and the ivory grips with GSP in gold. Patton carried it because he didn’t trust the M1911 automatic. Lieutenant Patton received his 1911 pistol just before he was assign to capture Pancho Villa. Not being familiar with the weapon he managed to fire it accidentally. He put it assign and took up his custom-made Single Action Army revolver, and never touched a .45 auto again.

The other pistol was a Colt double-action revolver chambered in .45 Colt Long, just like his SSA. It had a 4-inch barrel and ivory grips with GSP in gold. He told his aides that if he had to fight for his life at close range, he’d draw the double-action gun. If he wanted to pick off a Nazi at long range, he’d use the SSA.; 6/9/26, 12:41 PM
Quaestor said...: Assigned and aside. Damned spellcheck.; 6/9/26, 12:42 PM
Howard said...: Well they finally had to get rid of Patton once he started making noises about opening up a whole new Eastern front against the Soviets.; 6/9/26, 12:43 PM
Bob Boyd said...: You fuck one goat...; 6/9/26, 12:53 PM
Bob Boyd said...: Okay, two goats...; 6/9/26, 12:54 PM
D.D. Driver said...: That's not true because most cowards find a way of avoiding military service.

Bone spurs. I wonder what General Patton would have thought about Donnie's bone spurs?; 6/9/26, 1:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: TIL: I thought it had only been one incident.; 6/9/26, 1:21 PM
D.D. Driver said...: Never forget, when Donnie was called to serve his country: he had "bone spurs." He is leading good men and women to combat and he is a little cowardly cunt with bone spurs.; 6/9/26, 1:24 PM
narciso said...: And yet all the intelligentsia though ike was stupid as compared to stevenson; 6/9/26, 1:31 PM
Ampersand said...: I'm impressed that we didn't hear more about the psychiatric and social adjustment consequences for soldiers of seeing so many people die during WW2. It sounds to me as though Patton went nuts.
But, human nature being what it is and will always be, there must have been soldiers who were malingerers, allowing others to die in their stead so they could get home. And malingering was therefore a serious issue.; 6/9/26, 1:33 PM
Beaver7216 said...: Let’s not forget Eddie Slovik. The first soldier since Civil War executed for desertion. 21,000 US troops were charged but only Slovak got executed. I’d rather be slapped.
My brother, a soon to be schizophrenic, was drafted and sent to Vietnam in 1967 as a combat engineer. Many people should be excused. The people of Madison, Wisconsin are taking care of my brother. Somewhat.; 6/9/26, 1:39 PM
Vance said...: Ol DDDriver prefers his guys to be actual traitors and join the other side, like John Kerry. DDD is very, very proud of Kerry's support of the Viet Cong.; 6/9/26, 1:39 PM
Gem Quincyite said...: Patton found cowards in army hospitals; a Senator from Wisconsin found communists in federal government. both were punished.; 6/9/26, 1:43 PM
wsw said...: Is this the Ambrose biography or D'este? thanks; 6/9/26, 1:49 PM
John henry said...: Dd

The bone spurs were a myth. Draft numbers were assigned based on birthday. Trump was born on June 14.his,and everyone else born on June 14,drafy number was 356

The very highest number ever called up was 195. Donald Trump was never close to being drafted.

Reid us, which ranch did you serve in?

Don't be a Monica. (she'll swallow anything)

John Henry; 6/9/26, 2:02 PM
Old and slow said...: Dive bars always good short term results for me. But as I said earlier, hard physical labor is good for identifying the keepers.; 6/9/26, 2:16 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: MacArthur was Chief of Staff under both hoover and FDR. He didn't got the Philippines till Oct 35 and forced into Retirement by FDR in December 1937. After that he was just the head of the Filipino Army until July 1941. BTW, Eisenhower left in December 39.

In May 1941, MacArthur told the War Department he was resigning as head of Filipinio army and going to back to the USA. They told to stay in the Philippines because changes were coming. He was recalled to duty with US army in July 31, 1941.; 6/9/26, 2:39 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Lets see: Clinton Draft dodger. Bush II - never left USA. Trump - bone spurs. Biden -draft dodger. Mitt Romney - 2 years in Paris as Mormon Missionary instead of military service. Obama - too young for Vietnam.

However Hillary did try to join the Marines and was turned down because no females. And if you believe that, I got some swampland in Arkansas i could sell you.; 6/9/26, 2:43 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Kerry - wounded in Vietnam but was so obnoxious, and made such a big deal about throwing medals over fences, his fellow officers campaigned against him. And then there's Mccain. Who got shot down and captured. Heroic stuff indeed.; 6/9/26, 2:45 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: whenever I think of "Goddamn Cowards" I think of the Republican Senators on J6. Not one of them had to guts to address the crowd. Just hide in the basement, or like Miss Lindsey screeched at the Police to "Shoot them all".; 6/9/26, 2:46 PM
bobby said...: We try to find men who are just whacko enough to effectively lead other men into hellish fights for survival.

Some of them aren't polite.

Thank goodness.; 6/9/26, 2:47 PM
Peter Spieker said...: RCOCEAN II said...

BTW, I suggest anyone who didn't realize what a good politician Ike was, go to his Library and read his letters to George Marshall.

I haven't been to Eisenhower Library, but I have read some excerpts from his correspondence. After the Knustsford business, Eisenhower and Marshall exchanged some telegrams, which I will crudely summarize from memory:

E: Patton is an outstanding combat leader, but he is a problem child who repeatedly misbehaves. I know his conduct is embarrassing to the Army and the high command in Washington. He is who he is and he is not going to change. Should I relieve him and send him home? If I send him home, I must have Truscott in his place.

M: You are about to command the invasion of Europe. Our duty is to support you all we can while you carry that heavy burden and we will do everything we can to do so. Keep him or send him home as you think best, judging on the military merits of the situation only. Do not concern yourself with what political problems this may cause us.

E: I will keep Patton, send me Truscott as well.

M: Ok about Patton, no way about Truscott.

Two manipulations here, I think. First, anyone with any knowledge of George Marshall would know what kind of response you would likely get if you frame the issue "Give the combat troops their outstanding commander, or do what is best for the brass in Washington". Second, and a little more subtly, by framing the issue as Patton or Truscott, Marshall was being encouraged to keep Patton, as he had previously made clear he did not want to transfer Truscott out of the Mediterranean. Doing so would have angered Jacob Devers, annoyed the British, and deprived the Med of perhaps it's best remaining combat commander.; 6/9/26, 2:59 PM
Narr said...: "Blesse'" is French for wounded.

You can't make this stuff up.; 6/9/26, 3:01 PM
William said...: I read that during the Napoleonic wars the state of marksmanship and musketry were such that troops had to be marched to within fifty yards their opponents and then fire point blank volleys at each other. During that march the troops were subject to fire from skirmishers and artillery. Millions of men participated in these maneuvers, and the wars went on for a generation.......At what point does courage become counter productive to a species survival?; 6/9/26, 3:06 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: Basically, Eisenhower keeps telling Marshall - "If you want Patton Gone, he's gone". And Marshall Keeps responding "Your decision". He finally says this about Patton:

"After a year and a half of working with him, it appears hopeless he will ever completely overcome his lifelong habit of posing and self-dramatization, which causes him to break out in these extraordinary ways"; 6/9/26, 3:17 PM
Jaq said...: I have been visiting presidential sites. Chester A Arthur is just a little rebuilt orphanage where he showed up as a small child, just went to Hyde Park, NY which was far more grand, both FDR and Eleanore came from money, Eleanor from really old money, being part of the family descended from the guy who had the whole area granted to him by the Crown. He was a piece of work, ran his estate like a feudal society, making his tenants pay rents and never allowing them to buy their land, and his descendants did this even after the revolution, until the anti-rent wars of the 1830s brought reforms.; 6/9/26, 3:19 PM
Joe Bar said...: When I was attending C&GSC in the Army, one of the instructors liked to dress up as Patton and put on a perfunctory performance in front of the students. It was quite cringey and weird. They later forced him into early retirement for pencil-whipping his PT tests.; 6/9/26, 3:27 PM
Bob Boyd said...: @ John Henry

Thanks for offering me a hat. I'd love to have one of your hats.
Maybe we can connect via emailing Prof. Althouse.; 6/9/26, 3:29 PM
narciso said...: How high did you rise in the Army; 6/9/26, 3:30 PM
Christopher B said...: @William, a lot of people blame poor accuracy but I highly suspect the real reason was smokeless powder wasn't invented until very late in the 19th Century. A battlefield would be covered in smoke from massed rifle volleys and cannon fire, making any kind of long range observed fire almost impossible. Also, the only way to command was by voice or other audible signals, and the only long-range communication was by runner or signal devices so troops had to stay within at least visual range of their commanders.; 6/9/26, 3:53 PM
D.D. Driver said...: The bone spurs were a myth. Draft numbers were assigned based on birthday. Trump was born on June 14.his,and everyone else born on June 14,drafy number was 356

You are either gullible or you are a liar. Trump had a 1Y/4-F deferment.

Medical deferment. Bone spurs.; 6/9/26, 3:53 PM
D.D. Driver said...: Ol DDDriver prefers his guys to be actual traitors and join the other side, like John Kerry. DDD is very, very proud of Kerry's support of the Viet Cong.

You got the wrong guy. I hate all opportunistic cowards, cunts, and traitors. Kerry and Trump both fit the mold.; 6/9/26, 3:56 PM
rcommal said...: It would be interesting to see the list of bios through which your son is working. Cool project. Inspiring, actually.

Regards,

Lori (reader_iam); 6/9/26, 3:58 PM
rcommal said...: Patton was true to Patton, and unfortunately that truly did have its...downsides.; 6/9/26, 4:00 PM
rcommal said...: Where are the Eisenhowers now?; 6/9/26, 4:10 PM
Joe Bar said...: Christopher B said...
@William, a lot of people blame poor accuracy but I highly suspect the real reason was smokeless powder wasn't invented until very late in the 19th Century.

Also remember, these were smoothbore muskets, not rifles. Rifles were not commonly issued to infantry, as the grooves and lands would quickly pack with burned powder, rendering them useless.

Rifled muskets did not come into common infantry use until the US Civil War. The fouling problem was solved by the French invention of the Minie Ball. This round had an expanding tail that allowed it to be loaded into fouled barrels, yet still contacted the rifling upon firing.; 6/9/26, 4:16 PM
Dagwood said...: Well, he certainly failed in his efforts to keep our country from raising a breed of morons.; 6/9/26, 4:16 PM
Dagwood said...: DD - as in 'gigantic boob'.; 6/9/26, 4:19 PM
rcommal said...: I just can't read "gigantic boob" or "giant boob" without laughing. This has been true since I saw Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*" in the late '70s (I was too young when it came out originally).

I'd provide a link to it, but YouTube says you have to sign in due to the content. Jeez. Strikes me as very tame by today's standards, amirite?

But at least you can see the sperm vignette. That's hilarious, too.; 6/9/26, 4:49 PM
john mosby said...: My theory is that courage is a gas tank. You can run it to empty, but it can be refilled. Other factors besides literal life risk affect the rate of burn: heat/cold, food, physical exhaustion. Even Patton said "fatigue makes cowards of us all" on another occasion. Good management (and I literally mean management - writing schedules and such) can keep troops rotating so they never empty the tank. Even in the WW1 trenches, only a fraction of the lads were at the very front line at any given time. In WW2, yeah, you were in for the duration, but units were rotated off the front line. Elite spearhead units like paras and commandos would do short horribly violent missions, then go back to England for months. Bastogne is such a memorable event for the 101st because the airborne weren't supposed to hold terrain that long. People talked bad about the 1-year individual tours in Vietnam, but the 1-year unit tours in the GWOT didn't turn out much better.

Even the Soviets had a 3-day doctrine for frontline units in the attack, although most of that is due to death rather than courage issues. CC, JSM; 6/9/26, 4:56 PM
edutcher said...: He was an idiot. And I've read the real armor guys thought he knew nothing about tanks.; 6/9/26, 4:58 PM
gilbar said...: William said...
.. troops had to be marched to within fifty yards their opponents and then fire point blank volleys at each other.. Millions of men participated in these maneuvers, and the wars went on for a generation.....
..At what point does courage become counter productive to a species survival?

well,
what percentage of men died in these exchanges?
more importantly, what percentage of PEOPLE died?
MOST men are spares.. MOST men are spares..

now, for fun..
think about WWI and the troops sensibly hiding down in trenches and bunkers..
What percentage of men died in WWI??

“Artillery adds dignity, to what would otherwise be an ugly brawl.”
— Frederick the Great

just kidding.. the Only thing more deadly than artillery is explosives (bombs, mines, IED, etc) ..
come to think of it; guess what artillery IS?; 6/9/26, 5:03 PM
narciso said...: As waa stated in the movie he read rommels work; 6/9/26, 5:11 PM
Lazarus said...: I wonder how much of the movie Patton came from George C. Scott and how similar (or how different) the personalities of the actor and the general were. Scott's son Campbell is a very different type and probably wouldn't make a very good Patton.

General Willoughby, born Adolph Charles Weidenbach in Heidelberg and the son of a Baron, was of course assigned to the Pacific Theater. He became a notable extremist in retirement. MacArthur referred to him as 'my pet fascist.'; 6/9/26, 5:33 PM
Jim at said...: That's not true because most cowards find a way of avoiding military service.

And even bigger cowards go overseas and protest against the war on foreign soil.; 6/9/26, 5:37 PM
Jim at said...: Never forget, when Donnie was called to serve his country: he had "bone spurs." He is leading good men and women to combat and he is a little cowardly cunt with bone spurs.

Never forget, when Clinton was called to serve his country, he couldn't even come up with a legitimate medical reason. Instead, he fled to England and bitched about the war over there.; 6/9/26, 5:38 PM
BG said...: Don't mention Patton to a Spearheader. (1st Army, 3rd Armored.) Learned this from my dad. (WWII Spearhead tanker.) Apparently there was at least one occasion when the news back home would get 3rd Armored mixed up with 3rd Army and Patton wouldn't point out their mistake.

Our local historical society put on a WWII exhibit and I took some of my dad's WWII memorabilia for them to look at. I told the curator, "Don't mention Patton to a Spearheader." He said that I was the second person that day to tell him that.; 6/9/26, 5:40 PM
Achilles said...: D.D. Driver said...

Ol DDDriver prefers his guys to be actual traitors and join the other side, like John Kerry. DDD is very, very proud of Kerry's support of the Viet Cong.

You got the wrong guy. I hate all opportunistic cowards, cunts, and traitors. Kerry and Trump both fit the mold.

Did you serve in the military?; 6/9/26, 6:07 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: One reason for Marshall's reluctance to green-light the firing of Patton. Patton and his wife were both good friends of Henry Stimson the Secretary of War.; 6/9/26, 6:16 PM
Narr said...: Paul Lockhart's "Firepower: How Weapons Shaped Warfare" is very good on many of the questions raised and points made by commenters so far.

Geoffrey Perret's bios of Ike and MacArthur are fair and balanced, and his broader histories--

A Country Made By War (US military history)
There's A War To Be Won (WWII US Army) and
Winged Victory (WWII USAAC/AAF)

are solid and insightful. I'm always surprised he wasn't better known.

Probably available at a portal near you.; 6/9/26, 6:43 PM
john mosby said...: Trump’s been shot and almost railroaded into prison for life, for his country. And he keeps exposing himself to physical and legal danger. I think we can call him an honorary veteran. And courageous. CC, JSM; 6/9/26, 6:55 PM
John henry said...: Which was it, DD?

1y or 4f? 1y means "Registrant qualified/available for military service only in time of war or national emergency."

Such as VN?

And who gave him the classification? Oh yeah, that would have been a US ARMY doctor.

I did the whole draft thing in 66 at ft holobird MD.

I joined the navy 2 steps ahead of my draft board. But did go through most of the process

John Henry; 6/9/26, 7:58 PM
Valentine Smith said...: Patton was another weird Aristo. he was a glory hound who shared that extreme with Teddy R. He was also the best combat general in the army and probably all of the armed services. People seem to share the childlike view that great men have to be perfect In every way. Get over it get over it knuckleheads.; 6/9/26, 8:54 PM
John henry said...: "great men have great strengths as well as great weaknesses" - Peter Drucker in "The Effective Executivec; 6/9/26, 9:05 PM
John henry said...: Eleanor Roosevelt was Theodore Roosevelt niece. Daughter of his brother Elliot

John Henry; 6/9/26, 9:09 PM
gadfly said...: Jim at: Making things up about Bill Clinton in 1968, when he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, is stupid. 1968 was the year of the trial of the Chicago Eight, which displayed anti-Vietnam War protests among students, but Clinton was not exactly famous for his great award back then.; 6/9/26, 11:18 PM
Jim at said...: I'm not making up jackshit, Mr. Conservative.

Clinton admitted he protested the Viet Nam War when he was in England. He was proud of it.; 6/10/26, 12:20 AM
Jim at said...: Here you go, jackass:

Yes, Bill Clinton actively protested the Vietnam War while he was a university student in the late 1960s.

He participated in and helped organize anti-war demonstrations while studying as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. - Google AI

I eagerly await your apology. Or you could just shut the fuck up for once.; 6/10/26, 12:25 AM
Narr said...: Are great men really great, or just hard to ignore?

FWIW I think there are great men. Sorting the two categories is where all the fun is.; 6/10/26, 9:54 AM
Rustygrommet said...: John Henry @ 7:58
It's how I found out I had a heart murmur.; 6/10/26, 10:04 AM
Yinzer said...: edutcher claims Patton was an idiot, and he has spoken to 'real armor guys' who claimed Patton knew nothing about tanks. that has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read on this site, other than the asses who insisted on dragging Trump into this discussion. I assume you are unable to identify these 'armor guys', so shut up.; 6/10/26, 11:04 AM
Gordon Scott said...: Kurt Schlicter, a retired reserve colonel who did serve in Iraq, said he went to the archives and researched Trump's deferment. It was totally legitimate, according to Kurt. The x-rays are there and show the spurs.

As for the skulking, I just watched a short documentary on the battle of Meuse-Argonne. There were many US soldiers found to be behind the lines for no good reason before the battle kicked off. They were driven, at bayonet point in some cases, to rejoin their units at the front.

Meuse-Argonne was the first big battle for the Doughboys, and nearly the last, as the war ended a few weeks later.; 6/10/26, 1:00 PM