BELOW ARE TWO LETTERS G.S. PATTON SENT TO THE MEN IN
THE 3RD ARMY
AND THE WORDS TO THE ENGINEER SONG
HEADQUARTERS
THIRD UNITED STATES ARMY
To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I
wish a Merry Christmas. I have full confidence in your
courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We march in our
might to complete victory. May God's blessing rest upon each
of you on the Christmas Day
G. S. PATTON, JR.
Lieutenant General
Commanding Third United States Army
HEADQUARTERS THIRD UNITED STATES ARMY
Office of the Commanding General
APO 403
5 February 1945
SUBJECT: Commendation.
TO: The Army Engineer Officer, Third Army.
1. Please accept for yourself and pass on to the officers
and men of your units the sincere appreciation and admiration of all the
other elements of the Third Army for the work you have accomplished.
2. Over countless rivers and tank ditches in the flooded
Lorraine you constructed, and maintained innumerable bridges. You cleared
and reconditioned thousand of miles of road.
3. Your work in the recent operation in Belgium and Luxembourg
has been equally outstanding and has been accomplished under still more intolerable
conditions of weather and terrain.
4. Without the stimulus of combat, yet suffering losses
from enemy fire, you have built the Bridges lacking which the German penetration
could not have been obliterated.
5. Each and every officer and man of the Third Army Engineer
Units is hereby highly commended for the superior manner in which his tasks
have been performed.
6. You will apprise all units concerned of the contents
of this letter.
/s/ G.S. Patton, Jr.,
/t/ G.S. PATTON, Jr.,
Lieut. General, U.S. Army
Commanding
THE ENGINEER SONG
We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the Engineers.
We can, we can, we can, we can demolish forty beers.
So come, so come, so come, so come, so come along with us,
for we don't give a damn for any old man who don't give a damn for us.
Godiva was a lady who through Coventry did ride,
a'showing all the villagers her lovely lily-white hide.
But the most observant villager, an Engineer of course,
was the only one who noticed that Godiva rode a horse.
CHORUS
I've come a long, long way she said and I would go as far
for the man who'd take me off my horse and lead me to the bar.
And the man who took her off her steed and led her to her beer
was a blurry eyed surveyor and a drunken Engineer.
CHORUS
The Engineers of Peter The Great, who was a Russian Czar,
While remodeling the palace, put a throne room in the bar.
He lined the walls with vodka, rum, and 40 kinds of beer, and
Advanced the Russian culture by one hundred and seven years.
CHORUS
We did a piss-poor job on the timber trestle bridge.
We lost the fourth platoon out a'fighting on the ridge.
We zeroed in our rifles with precision and with care,
but when we fired for record Maggie's drawers were in the air.
CHORUS
An Engineer and his lady were spooning in the park.
The Engineer and his lady were spooning in the dark.
His scientific manner was a wonder to behold
for his left hand took the readings while his right hand turned the knobs.
CHORUS
Venus was a lady made of entirely of stone,
There's not a fig leaf on her. She's as naked as a bone.
On seeing her misfortune an Engineer discoursed,
She's a broken hunk of concrete and she should be reinforced.
CHORUS
The Engineers and the Infantry were downing a gallon can.
The Infantry said to the Engineers, "Out-drink us if you can."
The Infantry took three drinks and died, their faces a ghastly green.
But the Engineers kept drinking, it was only gasoline.
CHORUS
My father was a miner on the Upper Malamute.
My mother was a hostess in a house of ill repute.
My brothers all were fairies and my sisters all were queers.
So I told them all to go to hell and I joined the Engineers.
CHORUS
