My Love Affair with the Two Georges

The Washington, Patton, Connection

Today is George Washington’s day of birth. Many will celebrate him as the Father of the Country. He is that. Exactly that. But he’s not this nice, “leave it to Beaver” sort of dad.

Nope.

GW is that dad that would harangue you in the morning to get out of bed, and get going on your day. And at night, he would harangue you about your homework. If you failed to perform, he would talk to you again. Until those talks produced results.

Because dear papa George talked so much, you finally performed. Just to shut him up. That’s when you realized you had moved ahead in life because life is about action. And papa George understood that about as well as a human being can. Papa George also understood that there had to be action to follow up the words. That’s right, kids, papa would take away your muscle horse, if you didn’t get the message through the words.

Papa George was badass. He meant business. He understood, down to his gut, that if you don’t do violence you cannot breakaway from king and country. That every stand you take, has to be followed up by the willingness to defend your position, even if you have to die for it.

How many Americans have that sort of willingness today?

George was willing to make the tough decisions. Yes, he did hang a Continental solider for treason. Not like that other George, who slapped a soldier for cowardice, papa George, the leader of the American Forces, had more leeway than our WW2 hero.

George and George are connected. Did you know that? George Washington had a friend, and fellow Virginian, named Hugh Mercer. During the American War for Independence, Mercer was a brigadier general in the Continental Army. Mercer came to the colonies as a refugee from the Battle of Culloden. Mercer died in January 1777, from wounds sustained in the Battle of Princeton. He had a wife and children. Mercer’s daughter, Anne, married a Patton. That makes Hugh Mercer the great grandfather, 4 times removed, of George S. Patton. The Patton family was full of military men. So the second George of this affair, well, it is any surprise that he turned out to be the best of a long line of soldiers?

Methinks George might have liked to hang that soldier instead of slapping him. But, by 1944, the rules for proof in a court martial were more strident. That is the American system. Nonetheless, the point is this; both men did what they had to do to win.

More people are familiar with George Patton due to the movie that was made about him in 1970. But that is rather a long time back. Two generations have grown up since then. Do they know this dude and what his philosophy was? Do young people today get it, about self discipline, to have mastery over one’s self? Both Georges did. Self-discipline was instilled in them, and they practiced it well. Moving forward, boldly, getting the job done, perseverance, both are big, make that huge, examples of all those aspects of leadership which these guys practiced. I mean, what do you think it takes to be a badass?

George Washington had a whiskey still. Therefore, it would be appropriate that on today, his day of birth, you drink a cup of the good stuff in his honor. And then tip your glass to the other George.

Happy Birthday, papa George. I admire you for your qualities, for being decisive, determined, persevering, your willingness to make those tough calls, and your creative use of the resources you had on hand. The phrase, “true grit” fits you beautifully. Love you madly, papa. Love you both, madly.