Patton's "dumb bastard"

[Garson O'Toole]

Here is a version in 1918 of the same sentiment delivered by an
anonymous "old fellow". GB has even older interesting citations but
subjectively the meaning is somewhat different. I will post one if I
find a good one.

Gas age: Volume 41
June 15, 1918

An old fellow spoke thus to a recruit going to the front who said he
was ready to die for his country : "Son, we want the other fellow to
die for his country and you come back."

http://books.google.com/books?id=nKnmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22old+fellow%22#v=snippet&


On Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 9:41 PM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Patton's "dumb bastard"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> YBQ traces the follwoing famous saying, attributed to George S. Patton, Jr.,
> no farther back than the 1970 film "Patton." It says that "documentation is
> lacking."
>
> 1958 James M. Gavin _War and Peace in the Space Age_  (N.Y.: Harper) 64:
> George Patton's last words to us before we left Africa [in 1943] came home
> with meaning: "No dumb bastard ever won a war by going out and dying for his
> country. He won it by making some other dumb bastard die for his country."
>
> Gen. Gavin is a better source than the movie.
>
> Somewhere I believe I have an even earlier reference, which I will search
> for unless someone can me why not to bother. GB has
> something comparable from 1944 though it is not identical and certainly not
> attributed to GSP:
>
> 1944 Gilbert Bailey _Boot_ (N.Y.: Macmillan) 31: The idea works. It saves
> lives. Like Sergeant Rountree told us when he wound up a lecture on the M1
> rifle: "Learn to use this thing. LET THE OTHER BASTARD DIE FOR HIS COUNTRY.
> YOU LIVE FOR YOURS."
>
>
> Most of George C. Scott's opening remarks in "Patton" really does come more
> or less from P's repertoire.
>
> JL
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org