Patton prayer
, ,

General George S. Patton and the Power of Prayer

On this day in 1944, General George S. Patton, aka “Old Blood and Guts,” begins his bold strategy to relieve the Allied defenders of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

Ultimately, his plan paid off, and his 3rd Army penetrated the German lines and pushed them east across the Rhine.

Notably, a couple weeks prior, 250,000 prayer cards were distributed to every soldier in his Third Army. The text of the two-sided card follows:

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.

To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I Wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We march in our might to complete victory. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day.
G.S. Patton, Jr, Lieutenant General, Commanding, Third United States Army.”

In everything

After all, as General Patton said just prior to their distribution:
“[B]etween the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God. God has His part, or margin in everything. That’s where prayer comes in.”

 

Patton prayer

/0 Comments/by
James K. Polk

President James K. Polk: High Duties and humility

On this day in 1795, James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States, is born in Pineville, NC.

During Polk’s  presidency, America’s territory grew substantially and reached the west coast of the continent. Polk also kept his promise to be a one-term president and did not run for reelection.

High duties

Here are the closing paragraphs of his inaugural address:

“Although in our country the Chief Magistrate must almost of necessity be chosen by a party and stand pledged to its principles and measures, yet in his official action he should not be the President of a part only, but of the whole people of the United States. While he executes the laws with an impartial hand, shrinks from no proper responsibility, and faithfully carries out in the executive department of the Government the principles and policy of those who have chosen him, he should not be unmindful that our fellow-citizens who have differed with him in opinion are entitled to the full and free exercise of their opinions and judgments, and that the rights of all are entitled to respect and regard.

Confidently relying upon the aid and assistance of the coordinate departments of the Government in conducting our public affairs, I enter upon the discharge of the high duties which have been assigned me by the people, again humbly supplicating that Divine Being who has watched over and protected our beloved country from its infancy to the present hour to continue His gracious benedictions upon us, that we may continue to be a prosperous and happy people.”

 

James K. Polk

/0 Comments/by
Barbara Bush

Remembering Barbara Bush: “faith, family and friends”

A distant relative to the 14th president, Franklin Pierce, here are some wise words from former first lady Barbara Bush:

“At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a children, or a parent.”

“[W]hen all the dust is settled and all the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family and friends.”

“George and I pray every night, out loud, and sometimes we fight over whose turn it is.”

“I know there is a great God, and I’m not worried about [death].”

Barbara Bush

/0 Comments/by
,

Veto; Power

On this day in 1792, President George Washington exercised the first presidential veto of a Congressional bill, the Apportionment Act of 1792.

Washington sought opinions from his closest advisors: Edmund Randolph, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox. Though the opinions of the four men were split, the President ultimately deemed the Act unconstitutional, despite his concerns that his veto may make it appear that he was “taking side with a Southern party.”

In another first, George Washington made this powerful statement at his first inaugural address about where true power and control is found:

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the People of the United States.”

 

George Washington Invisible Hand reveal

/0 Comments/by