Posted on 05/06/2009 12:51:15 PM PDT by Amerisrael
This Thursday, May 7th, is the National Day of Prayer
Most have heard of the "weather prayer" composed by Patton's Third Army Chaplain in WWII, in response to an order issued by the General himself.
What wasn't in the movie.
Here is an excerpt:
"Chaplain, I am a strong believer in Prayer. There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by Praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: that's working. But between 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. Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us. We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too. A good soldier is not made merely by making him think and work. There is something in every soldier that goes deeper than thinking or working--it's his "guts." It is something that he has built in there: it is a world of truth and power that is higher than himself. Great living is not all output of thought and work. A man has to have intake as well. I don't know what you it, but I call it Religion, Prayer, or God."
(Excerpt) Read more at pattonhq.com ...
Patton Ping
Well worth reading the whole thing. Wow.
prayer ping (not a ping for prayer, but a VERY powerful ping about prayer!)
I heard very much the same story from my step father who was a 3rd Army Chaplain under Patton. This expanded on it. Patton was amazing.
We could use a Patton or two today.
Patton. Prayer. Ping.
Patton is alive in all of us. Hold strong and don’t let up.
Our time will come and victory will be ours.
I think they’re there. Whether or not the CIC decides to utilize the full range of their potential is another matter.
Very interesting. I love the way the recitation of this prayer is combined with battle imagery in the movie “Patton.”
Thanks for posting.
This 1950 article by the chaplain who actually knew and worked with General Patton is in stark contrast to the movie image of a Patton who cursed, used profanity, and who believed in reincarnation.
The real Patton sounds like a professing Christian.
His description of the power of prayer by millions is especially moving. It appears that Patton was convinced that wide dissemination of the Weather Prayer was instrumental in changing both the weather and the outcome of the war.
I happen to believe that, myself.
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