Yes, definitely. Patton could be cruel (as in the well known example of his slapping a soldier). Thanks for giving me a chance to add that.

One thing that interested me about the card he gave soldiers (strange as it may sound) was how he met a literary challenge. In an extremely tight space, he had to honor the holiday, support the troops, and encourage soldiers who might be facing death, and more. And there's not a word you could cut from what he said, always one of my tests of good writing. I've taught college journalism and sometimes have fantasized about giving students a similar assignment: Let's say, write the message you'd put on a wallet-sized card for someone who was seriously ill with Covid and about to enter a hospital.