June 22, 1945; One dead answers Gen. Patton:

THIS WAS REPORTED TODAY, JUNE 22, 1945:

RACINE, WIS., FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JUNE 22, 1945.

 

 

 

 

In Flanders Fields the Poppies Grow

'One of the Dead' Asks General Patton: 'Did We Die in Vain?'

PARIS. — (AP) — The U. S. Army newspaper Stars and Stripes published today an imaginary letter from "one of the dead " who served under Gen. Patton’s command, taking he general to task for telling children in a Sunday school class they would be the soldiers and nurses of thr next war.

The article, written by an Army captain who signed only the initials  J.C.B., begged Gen. Patton to "just sort of hold your tongue at least until after that San Francisco Conference."

" Just stay a soldier," the letter  said. "Leave the peace up to those who are working their hearts out to make it stick."

Patton, in his address to the Sunday school children of t he

Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel, Calif., J u n e 10,
told them, "You children here, whether you like it or not, a r e t he
soldiers and nurses of t h e next war. There will be war again, in
my opinion, because there have always been such things.")

The Letter:

"Dear General Patton:

" I am one of 30,000 men who died under your command on our

march across Europe. Last week you told a Sunday school class:

" 'You children are the soldiers and nurses of t h e next war.'
"Another war — not a hundred years from now but right
around the corner! I don't know what the other  29,999 boys did but I turned over in my grave, General, and the dirt above me moved because it isn't packed hard yet.

"Please don't tell us that, General — not just now. And don’t say it again to our families. It's too soon for them, to understand. And

don't say it to t h e world at a time when all t h e decent nations in it are working to build a peace of some kind.
Couldn't you just sort of hold your tongue at least until after that SanFrancisco Conference.---------