Lucian Truscott's Advice to his Son

Lucian K. Truscott, 1895 - 1965

Lucian K. Trucscott was one of the US Army's finest polo players. He also served as a general under Patton in the Sicily campaign and took over command of Third Army after Patton's relief in 1945.  He joined the Army as a lieutenant in 1917 and retired as a four star general in 1948.  He was one of the great military leaders of World War II.

This was his advice to his son...

"Listen, Son, goddamit.  Let me tell you something and don't ever forget it.  You play games to win, not lose.  And you fight wars to win!  That's spelled W-I-N!  And every good player in the game and every good commander in a war, and I mean really good player or good commander, every damn one of them has to have some sonofabitch in him.  If he doesn't, he isn't a good player or commander.  And he will never be a good commander.  Polo games and wars aren't won by gentlemen.  They are won by men who can be first-class sonofbitches when they have to be.  It's as simple as that.  No sonofabitch, no commander."

Source: Patton: A Genius for War, p. 312, Carlo D'Este, 1995, www.amzn.com/0060927623.

3rd Army Vet remembers encounter with Truscott

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