George S. Patton was perhaps
the finest general
to ever lead men into battle.
He was a true American Hero.
And was the only Allied General
feared by the Nazis
in World War II.
George Smith Patton, born in 1885,
was educated at the American Military Academy.
As a child he had difficulty learning to read and write,
but overcame this.
Later in his adult life he became an avid reader.
He was Home schooled,
like our precious children,
until the age of eleven.
Then he was enrolled in Stephen Clark’s School for Boys,
a private school in Pasadena.
He was a highly intelligent child
and widely read classical military history.
Following graduation he became
an aide-de-camp to General Pershing
in his valiant campaign against Pancho Villa.
And George S. Patton was linked
with daring exploits as this
throughout his military career.
A highly intelligent child .
Following his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in 1934
in Hawaii, he foresaw the possibility
of a Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
with a remarkable degree of foresight
and sent a note about it,
four years before the attack occurred.
Following the end of World War II,
on December 9, 1945, General George S. Patton
was severely injured in a traffic accident.
He and his chief of staff were on a day trip
to hunt pheasants
in the country outside Mannheim.
Patton was sitting in the back seat of his 1938 Cadillac.
And at 11:45 a. m., near Neckarstadt,
a truck made a left turn in front of the Cadillac.
Patton’s car hit the front of the truck at a low speed.
Patton’s dog Willie mourns his master. (This photo moved me to tears.)
Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery
in Hamm, Luxembourg along with others in the Third Army.
His request was to be buried with his men.
On March 19, 1947,
his body was moved from the original grave site
to its current prominent location
at the head of his former troops.
My Dear Friends,
I was privileged and Honored
to recently visit the Luxembourg American Cemetery
and the place where General Patton
was laid to rest,
along with over five thousand
of his valiant soldiers
who gave their last full measure of Devotion
to you and me.
By the way,
the American Battle Monuments Commission
maintains 24 permanent American burial grounds
on foreign soil.
Presently there are 124,909 U.S. war dead
interred at these cemeteries.
The total number of Americans
who died for our freedom
in all wars,
is approximately
1,264,000
– 620,000 in the Civil War
and 644,000 in all other conflicts.
Monument in honor of General George Patton Jr.
Our freedom
is the most expensive
thing on this planet.
When you see a Veteran,
thank him or her,
and do what you can
for that wonderful person.
It is difficult
for me to convey the emotion
that I felt
upon visiting the graves
of so very, very many
who lost their lives
combating evil
and tyranny.
I am in tears
as I try to express
my admiration, gratitude and Love
for these truly
Brave and Beautiful People.
Military leaders like General Patton
are very few and very far between.
Please take note of the fact that
we have had military leaders at the precise time
when we needed them for conflicts,
when this country
was truly in need
in order for our country
to survive.
We have been truly Blessed
to have such great leaders
in our desperate times.
I Believe
that his precious Life
was a Gift
to our Nation
from Almighty God.
General George Patton was a man
equal to none.
“I Love this Man
and I think he was terribly under used and maligned.
We need Men like him today.
Gen. Patton was one of the best military minds ever.
May he be resting in the sweetest of
Peace and Grace.”
– Pam pamellita
I was especially moved
to visit his grave
and the George Patton Museum
after having met his son,
General George Patton IV
at Fort Hood in 1977.
As fate would have it,
I was invited by the Husband
of my wonderful school secretary
to see Fort Hood.
At the time,
I served as the Principal
of LaVega Primary School.
Claudia Mitchell
mentioned to her Husband,
and member of the Army Reserve,
George Mitchell,
that I wanted to see Fort Hood.
And to my amazement,
she spoke with George
and arranged for me to accompany him
on his next trip.
The rest of the story
is like a Dream come true.
George Patton IV
Shortly after we arrived,
I noticed high in the sky
a very small helicopter
circling above us.
George and I
were visiting and looking at the landscape,
when this tiny copter suddenly
landed a few yards away.
I was startled
when a tall man
ducked down to get out
and came quickly
toward us.
He extended his hand
toward me
and introduced himself as
General George Patton!
I shook his hand
in shock and disbelief.
It was the son
of the very famous General Patton
of World War II.
He stated that he heard
I was here.
(obviously, Mr. Mitchell
shared information about me
before we arrived)
And he wanted to meet me.
Then he said
“I have been looking
for someone like you,
to be on my personal staff.”
I then looked around
to see who he was speaking to.
I found only
George Mitchell and me.
Then he asked,
“How old are you?”
I said I am twenty seven.
The General paused,
looked me up and down,
and stated that I was one year older
than officer’s candidate school would accept.
He shook my hand again
and said that it was nice
to meet me,
and then said thank you
to George,
crawled back into his tiny craft
and disappeared.
I looked at George Mitchell
and asked
“What the Hell?”
George Mitchell just chuckled
and we both slowly
walked away,
I, in disbelief.
“Willie”
As it turns out,
this General Patton
was the tenth in a family line of U.S. military men
in American History.
George Patton IV
served in Korea from 1953,
commanding “A” Company of the 140th Tank Battalion,
40th Infantry Division.
He received his first Silver Star
and the Purple Heart in Korea.
Returning to the United States in 1954,
He was assigned to West Point
but later was sent to teach at the
United States Naval Academy.
He served three tours of duty in Vietnam,
and then took command
of the 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 81st Armored Regiment
of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood Texas.
During Patton’s final tour
he was awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses.
And, while in Vietnam, he frequently used helicopters as a mobile command post and was shot down three times and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After Vietnam,
he was promoted to Brigadier General
before becoming the commanding officer
of the U.S. 2nd Armored Division,
a unit his Father had commanded
in North Africa during World War II,
making this the first time in U.S. Army history
that a father and a son
had both commanded the same division.
Visiting the wounded.
Like his Father,
Patton IV was a devout Episcopalian
and a believer in reincarnation.
He remembered visiting the site
of a Napoleonic battle in Regensburg, Germany,
where he was gripped by the feeling
that he had once been in combat there.
After his installation he went
to the post Chapel to meditate.
“While there,” he confessed,
“I not only felt the presence of God,
I also felt the presence of my Father.”
Brigadier General Patton
was Deputy Post Commander at Fort Knox during 1972.
He was known by the troops as a
“GI General,”
often appearing in the Dining Hall during meal times.
And often he would be behind the serving line.
At Fort Hood
Maj. Gen. George Smith Patton was again in charge
of the Second Armored Division.
To the division it seemed as though the two men
were one and the same,
that George Patton IV was an eerie reincarnation
of his Father, Old Blood and Guts.
Interestingly, he was also stationed near Stuttgart,
where Manfred Rommel, son of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel,
was Mayor of the city.
The sons of the two former adversaries entered into a friendship,
which continued until his death in 2004.
The men shared the same birthday, December 24.
He died from a form of Parkinson’s disease
at the age of 80 in 2004.
General Patton’s young grandson, who still is living,
makes interviews on the History Channel
and the Military Channel,
recalling his family heritage.
I, too,
have a Family Heritage
I am very proud of.
My Uncle,
Eugene R. Retz,
fought in the Battle of Bulge.
He was captured by German forces
and spent over a year
as a prisoner of war.
He suffered from the experience
his entire Life
from coming close to death
by starvation.
.
“I recall when Gene was released from prisoner of war.
I believe it was close to Christmas time
and I was a young boy of about 8 years old.
I had just received an electric American Flyer train for Christmas.
On several occasions, Gene would come over to my home
and he and I would play (to my Joy) with the electric train.
At that time, I knew him only
as gentle and seemingly frail.”
Frank (Pinky) Swihel, Jr.
July 24, 2008 | Surprise, AZ
Dear Friends,
we have many other
Wars
to fight.
And in these struggles,
YOUR
courage and leadership
is needed:
The use of alcohol
results in the death
of two and one half million people each year
and causes serious illness and injury
to many millions more.
Most deaths caused by alcohol results from
injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.
From our friends at Livescience.com:
Drinking alcohol in moderation is more harmful
than previously thought,
according to a new study that concludes
there is no “safe” level
of alcohol consumption.
The comprehensive study,
which analyzed information from millions of people
in nearly 200 countries, found that alcohol
is tied to nearly 3 million deaths globally each year.
What’s more, any protective health effects of alcohol
were offset by the drink’s risk,
including strong links between alcohol consumption
and the risk of cancer
and injuries such as those resulting from car accidents.
[7 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health]
“The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol
needs revising,”
the researchers wrote in their paper,
published online Aug. 23 in the journal The Lancet.
“Our results show that
the safest level of drinking is NONE.”
read more
People can be drawn to the sedative effects of alcohol
as a kind of medication,
helping to distract from persistent feelings of sadness.
While alcohol may temporarily relieve
some of the symptoms of depression,
it ultimately serves to worsen depression
on a long-term basis.
Alcohol
is a
depressant.
My Dear Friends,
allow your Love
to blossom into courage
and share your disdain
for this bacterial excrement
(Yes, that is exactly what it is).
Your children
need to know,
and they must know from
YOU,
the truth.
Stop consuming this
CRAP
(yes, it literally is),
especially in their presence.
By drinking in their presence
your are unknowingly giving
your stamp of approval.
The opinion
of a child’s Mother and Father
is more meaningful
to that child,
than any other information
they shall ever, ever
receive.
A river of NO return.
On yet another battleground,
and there are MANY:
According to the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,
over 44,000 people try to commit suicide
each year in the United States.
In 2015, suicide was the second leading cause of death
in people 15 to 34 years of age
and third leading cause of death
in children aged 10 to 14,
according to the CDC.
Suicide has surpassed war
as the military’s leading cause of death.
War was the leading cause of death in the military
nearly every year between 2004 and 2011
until suicides became the top means dying.
More U.S. soldiers killed themselves
(468) than died in combat.
Improving diagnosis
of mental health conditions can help.
Most people who commit suicide
have seen a doctor within the last year,
but many do not get diagnosed with the mental illness
that will ultimately kill them.
Click here for 5 Myths About Suicide, Debunked
Wars
can never be won
in silence.
Please find the courage
to openly discuss the warning signs
and prevention.
Our very, very, fragile
and very HUMAN
brothers and sisters,
and sons and daughters,
need to hear YOU
voice your Love,
your concern,
and your compassion.
WE
have allowed our society to evolve
into an unbelievably complex and stressful
MESS!
Please take three giant steps backward
in time – toward those moments
when JOY was the order of the day.
Reflect upon those precious times
when you, and those around you,
were truly happy.
Now,
do, or do not do,
what took place,
or did not take place,
then,
in order to make you
happy.
Joy is inside.
Joy does not simply happen to us.
Joy is inside
and not dependent on outside things.
In other words,
it’s a mindset.
Be Childlike.
Love every moment
for its sheer greatness.
Start paying attention to the details,
to the intricacies of life.
Life will amaze you.
Start Loving yourself
for who you are.
And who are
YOU?
No!
You do not know.
No one knows.
ONLY
God knows.
Go to your Father
in Heaven Above
and ASK
for help.
He will not
fail you.
He
LOVES
you.
Relive
the precious moments
when you felt
truly alive,
filled with
Joy.
ASK for help.
.Visit places
and friends and family members
associated with Happy moments.
Listen to those Songs that inspired you
and made your Heart jump for Joy.
Get in touch with old friends
who were genuine towards you.
If you truly
want to be Joyful,
put your mind
outside
of your body.
DO SOMETHING
FOR SOMEONE ELSE!
Help another living person.
Put your mind to work
on THEIR problems and difficulties.
STOP thinking about
yourself.
The greatest feeling of JOY
your will ever come to know,
is when you help another
truly in need.
It is important to realize
that the mind can think of only
one thing
at a time.
And this,
My Friend,
is a GIFT.
If we put our mind to work
thinking of helping
someone other than
our self,
we simply cannot
focus upon our
worries, fears and problems.
Yes,
the inability to multi-task
(which is an illusion),
is truly a
Gift.
read more
So,
put this knowledge
to work.
Truly a Gift.
Take the time
to do the things
that truly
matter in Life.
NO.
You will not be as successful,
or driven
or egotistical,
or well dressed,
or deluded by the illusions of
wealth and money.
YOU
will be
Happy
and
alive.
Goodnight.
For Friday:
The Museum of Science and History
For Philosophy Class
this week:
Nov. 2 Museum of Science & History
Nov. 19 – 23 Thanksgiving / Fall Break
T. B. A. Texas A.G.T. Conference (no school)
Dec. 7 Texas Civil War Museum (Do wars …………………………………………………….ever really end?)
Dec. 21 (Friday) Last Day of Fall Semester
Dec. 24 – Jan. 7 Winter Break Holidays
Second Semester
January 8 – May 24 2019
Jan. 8 (Tuesday) Second Semester begins
Jan. 21 (Monday) Rev. Dr. Martin L. King Holiday
Jan. 25 (Friday) Fort Worth Stock Show
Feb. 18 (Monday) President’s Day Holiday
Mar. 8 (Friday) Texas Storytelling Festival in Denton
Mar. 11 -15 Spring Break Holidays
April 19 & 22 (Fri. & Mon.) Good Friday & Easter Holidays
April 30, (Tuesday) Scarborough Renaissance Festival …………. Student Day
May 20 Prep. Day for Adventure Trip …………………………………………………….(no school)
May 21 – 24 Adventure Trip
May 24 Last Day of Semester
Dr. & Mrs. Anderson may schedule 2-5 additional days
(to be announced later) for In-service Training.
Visit our website at http://www.andersonschool.net
for updated information.
The School Calendar is subject to change.
There are no make-up days
if school is closed due to
inclement weather.
Inclement Weather Policy:
the school will close if Fort Worth I. S. D. is closed.
(Calendar 2018-2019 / approved 7-29-18)
Lyrics/songs texts/paintings/articles
are property and copyright of their owners
and provided for educational purposes.
Copyright Disclaimer – Section 107 – Copyright Act 1976,
allowance is made for “fair use”
for purposes such as criticism, comment,
news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research.
Fair use is permitted by copyright statute.
Non-profit, educational or personal use
tips the balance in favor of “fair use”.
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The Anderson Private School.
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Life requires reflection.
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