George S. Patton

:Please see "Patton" for other definitions

Education

Patton attended Virginia Military Institute for one year, then transferred to West Point. He flunked out after plebe year with Courtney Hodges (both "found deficient" in mathematics), but reentered to graduate in 1909.

Related Topics:
Virginia Military Institute - West Point - Courtney Hodges - 1909

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Patton was an intelligent child, intensively studying classical literature and military history from a young age, but likely suffered from an undiagnosed case of dyslexia, the consequences of which would haunt him throughout his schooling. He learned to read at a very late age as a child, and never learned basic skills such as proper spelling. Because of these difficulties, it took him five years to graduate from West Point, although he did rise to become Adjutant of the Corps of Cadets.

Related Topics:
Classical - Literature - Military history - Dyslexia - West Point

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While at West Point, Patton renewed his acquaintance with childhood friend Beatrice Ayer, the daughter of a wealthy textile baron. The two were married shortly after Patton's graduation.

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After graduating from West Point, Patton participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, representing the United States in the first-ever Modern Pentathlon. Patton finished fifth in the event. He was leading before the shooting competition, in which his second shot appeared to miss the target. He claimed his second bullet went through the hole made by his first.

Related Topics:
1912 Summer Olympics - Stockholm - Modern Pentathlon

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Patton, along with many other members of his family, often claimed to have seen vivid, lifelike visions of his ancestors. He was a staunch believer in reincarnation, and much anecdotal evidence indicates that he held himself to be the reincarnation of the Carthaginian General Hannibal, a Roman legionnaire, a Napoleonic field marshal, and various other historical military figures.

Related Topics:
Visions - Reincarnation - Carthaginian - Hannibal - Legionnaire - Napoleonic - Field marshal

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