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.
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6 comments:

  1. CWO4 Brian L. Ashpole, USN - RetiredApril 16, 2012 at 8:42 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 16, 2012 at 10:26 AM

    Cap'n,

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

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jimmy BrokawApril 16, 2012 at 12:18 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mike LambertApril 16, 2012 at 12:31 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  5. CWO4 Brian L. Ashpole, USN - RetiredApril 16, 2012 at 1:35 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bryan LopezApril 26, 2012 at 12:41 AM

    Ha! They're still out there!

    ReplyDelete