Patton

Spiritually Speaking in the Movies on Veterans Day, 2025.

There is a moment in the film Patton that speaks loudly to our present time. It’s the famous scene where General Patton attempts to shame a cowardly solider, in his view, into action and leave weakness behind. This was Patton’s idea, explained implicitly in the film.

It is also not fiction, but fact, as was the personal apology he had to give live to the entire army he was leading. He had to have the guts to be humble, as much as that soldier needed to have courage to fight

Veteran’s Day is a tremendous opportunity to explore the link between courage and compassion, resolve and weakness, between fear and fight. For soldiers on the “Front Lines” of any fight — those in harm’s way — the lesson is directly in front of them in ways bystanders cannot fathom.

Front Line Faith, is what many call it. I’ve interviewed my fair share of veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan — from Guadalcanal, to Chosin Resovior, to Cambodia to Kabul, and they all said they were scared at times. It’s what They did with it, that counted. They all learned what to fear was fear itself.

I once met a 92-year-old veteran of WWII at a store here in Texas. He said he’d just turned 16 when he joined the Marines to fight in the Pacific war (if you have ever lived in Texas, you know this is not far-fetched).

“It was hard, but it was good for me,” he told me. “It taught me discipline.” It struck me that of all the things he could have said — “it was horrific.” “It was a nightmare” “It was deeply disturbing experience,” — he choose to say “discipline.

Patton’s expectations of his men were exacting, but he had a reason. He wanted the enemy to fear his men, to expect defeat at their hands and to quit their fight.

The slapping incident nearly finished his career, but given another chance, his results against the power of darkness, the Nazi’s, was impressive. This was the man who engineered the famous, improbable and so-called impossible, “Relief of Bastogne” during Hitlers final, furious attempt at victory during the Battle of the Bulge. There has never been a military victory like it. It was critical beyond belief.

Many casual observers don't realize that Bastogne was not just about saving a surrounded U.S. Airborne group in a small town. It was a critical moment, at a strategic crossroads in Europe, to stop the Nazi’s and save the war effort itself.

Thousands upon thousands of Allied lives were saved. Patton and his men, did this. It was nothing short of amazing and, some say, miraculous. Patton himself credited God for his victory there.

I must admit that knowing this, and seeing it acted out in this excellent film (winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture) inspired me to be tougher on myself. The older I got, the more I fought through obstacles, to overcome. That attitude served me to survive a life-threatening stroke; open heart surgery and other situations that seemed impossible. It got to the point where my doctor told me I was “a poster-child for survival.”

Sometimes, it’s best to stand and fight. So many of us, me included, want to be lovers rather than fighters, but the truth is, it’s not either/or — it’s both. The question is, when do we do one or the other? Many times, fighting through is not an option. It’s essential.

On Veteran’s Day, watch Patton or Hacksaw Ridge. Spiritually speaking, you may be inspired to fight on.

A Veteran’s Day movie choice no. 2 : “Patton.” It’s almost impossible to view the 1970 film-story of General George S. Patton, commander of the Third Army in Europe during WWII, without considering the spiritual thought, “For such a time as this.” Patton’s belief in Divine destiny, purpose and passion, strength and resolve from God Almighty, will enable his army, he believes, to defeat the Nazi Hordes of Darkness.

This film, which won multiple Academy Awards, is a faithful retelling of Patton’s core beliefs that drove him to do more, go further and accomplish the most in war of any single general in American military history.

This is the movie’s power as it underscores the vital spiritual connection explaining the bedrock motivation of a man to accomplish his life’s mission.

This also reveals what is missing in so many empty movies today. Somehow, these eviscerated films try to tell us we should live life without a practical spiritual connection. Just how do we do that?

The General’s true-life dependence on Divine intervention is vividly illustrated in the unbelievable story — to everyone except Patton — of the Third Army’s relief effort of the 101st Airborne trapped, but holding the critical line in Bastogne, France during the wintery Battle of the Bulge.

Allied generals told Patton he was trying to do the impossible with his relief effort. Yet, Patton’s army did it in the dead of a dreadful winter fighting weather as well as the battle-hardened, stubborn Germans.

With non-stop inclement weather threatening, Patton reached for his secret weapon; prayer. The film actually shows him calling on an Army chaplain to compose a prayer asking God to restrain the weather so they can defeat the enemy. The prayer is then recited for us by Patton. The very next day, the weather was perfect. This is not fiction. This is a real prayer, in a real place, by real people.

Still called “the Miracle of Bastogne” today, Patton’s army relieves the 101st and breaks the German advance. The prayer, read to us almost in its entirety in the film, can easily be found online and examined. It is revealing.

What the film did NOT show was the real-life printing of thousands of copies of the prayer, distributed to his army so they could join in with their Commander. Prayer was the responsibility of all of his men, not just himself, and Patton knew it.

This is a remarkable true-showing of what was accomplished in awful circumstances in a spiritual context” and how it was accomplished. If this were a fictional account, critics undoubtedly would declare it wholly unrealistic. Truth, once again, is more instructive than fiction.

Many such stories never reach the souls of a spiritually hungry America today, as Hollywood, for whatever reason, eschews genuine spiritual connection for salvation fantasies of Asgardian proportions. Despite his personal flaws, “Patton” is still a fresh of drink water in a spiritually dry land, giving us pause to consider, then go forth to fight our own personal, and practical, battles of life.