![]() But the bulk of his fame rests on his performance as a commanding general during World War II. ![]() Between World Wars, Patton had various assignments in many different locations, as is common with military personnel. He eventually became known, among many other things, for his brilliance in commanding tanks in battle. In November 1917 he was assigned to the Tank Corps, and attended a course at the French Tank School. During World War I, he served as a member of General John Pershing's staff. ![]() His “career,” as it were, consisting mostly of military training while at West Point, and then the 1912 Olympics.īut George Smith Patton was destined for far greater fame than he would achieve on the playing fields. Thus, he has one of the shortest athletic careers of any well-known American Olympian. There is no record that George Patton ever again competed in organized sports after the Stockholm Olympics. But the deficit he had built for himself in the shooting was too much for him to overcome. He did well there, placing third in the run, and moving up to fifth spot. He had moved up to sixth place with only the 4,000 metre run remaining. He placed fourth in fencing and sixth in cross-country riding. In swimming, probably the sport at which he had the least experience, he was seventh. It cost him a chance at a gold medal, as he performed credibly in the last four contests. The first event of the 1912 modern pentathlon was shooting, and Patton performed poorly, finishing only 21st. While he was entered in that sport (in individual sabre), there is no evidence that he competed in fencing at the 1912 Olympic Games. It is also commonly stated that he also competed in fencing at the 1912 Olympics. Olympic team.Īt Stockholm, Patton finished fifth in the modern pentathlon. It is possible that Patton's new circle of friends had some influence in helping him be selected to the 1912 U.S. There he competed in polo with the elite and wealthy, and Wilson notes that he hobnobbed with the influential and powerful. He was then transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where he was stationed when selected for the 1912 Olympic team. He kept a whole stable of polo ponies with him at his own expense. Still, almost nothing is known about how he was selected to the team, as he had little national reputation.Īfter graduation from the USMA, Patton served in the cavalry in Fort Sheridan, Illinois until December 1911. ![]() With his ability in running, fencing, shooting, and riding, Patton was a natural to represent the United States in the first Olympic modern pentathlon event at the Stockholm Olympics. With the family's background he had grown up with horses, and became an well-known polo player. In addition to those three sports, Patton was an accomplished horseman. He never competed nationally in track & field or in fencing. He competed in the broadswords at West Point, earning letters in his senior year in track & field, fencing, and sharpshooting (rifle and pistol). He ran on the track team and apparently set a school record in the hurdles in his senior year. At West Point he went out for football, but broke both his arms and never played. He graduated from West Point in 1909, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.Įfforts to find much about Patton's athletic career have yielded little. From there he went to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He eventually married into more wealth, his wife, Beatrice Ayer, being the daughter of a Massachusetts textile magnate.Īfter attending school in Pasadena, Patton enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute. Born in San Gabriel, California on 11 November 1885, he was from a wealthy family. was one the greatest military generals ever produced in the United States.
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