Monday, April 16, 2012

General Patton's view of the 'staff officer'

The typical staff officer is a man past middle life, spare, wrinkled, intelligent, cold, noncommittal, with eyes like a codfish, polite in contact, but at the same time unresponsive, cool, calm and as damnably composed as a concrete post or plaster of Paris cast; a human petrification with a heart of feldspar and without charm or the friendly germ; minus bowels, passions or a sense of humor.

Happily they never reproduce and all of them finally go to hell.

Gen George S. Patton, Jr.

6 comments:

CWO4 Brian L. Ashpole, USN - Retired said...

I do believe that I've met a few of these "staff officers" in my short career.

Anonymous said...

Cap'n,

I am betting you were one of those staff officers that the General was referring to.

Jimmy Brokaw said...

Thanks for the lunchtime pick-me-up. Now I'm heading back off to my staff officer course.

Mike Lambert said...

Unknown at 12:18,

I hear you. I served on the CINCPACFLT, CNSG, Joint Staff and OSD Staffs. The General's words are hurtful, if not partially true.

CWO4 Brian L. Ashpole, USN - Retired said...

I don't believe that those words pertain to you.

Bryan Lopez said...

Ha! They're still out there!