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Pattonphoto.jpg

George S. Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general who commanded the U.S. Seventh and Third armies during World War II. He had been wounded during World War I leading the newly formed Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces into combat. In 1942 he led U.S. troops in the invasion of Casablanca, and later commanded the Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily. After slapping two soldiers, he was removed from battlefield command, but returned to lead the Third Army following the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. After a successful armored drive across France, his army helped rescue beleaguered American troops during the Battle of the Bulge. He died from an automobile accident in Germany. While Allied leaders held sharply differing opinions on Patton, he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command. His emphasis on aggressive offensive action proved effective, but his hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by controversial public statements. He joined his troops on the front lines and inspired them with vulgarity-ridden speeches, as recounted in a 1970 award-winning biographical film. (Full article...)

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November 11: Independence Day in Angola (1975) and Poland (1918); Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations; Veterans Day in the United States

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Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower

The class the stars fell on is an expression used to describe the United States Military Academy Class of 1915. In the United States Army, the insignia reserved for generals is one or more stars. Of the 164 graduates that year, 59 (36%) attained the rank of general, the most of any class in the history of the United States Military Academy, hence the expression. Two reached the five-star rank of General of the Army. There were also 2 four-star generals, 7 three-star lieutenant generals, 24 two-star major generals and 24 one-star brigadier generals. Dwight D. Eisenhower (pictured), one of the five-star generals, went on to become the 34th President of the United States. (Full list...)

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Netherlands American Cemetery

The memorial tower at the Netherlands American Cemetery, a World War II war cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands. Administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission, the cemetery holds 8,301 graves in an area of 65.5 acres (26.5 ha). The site includes a reflecting pool, museum, and a Court of Honor, the walls of which contain the Tablets of the Missing, on which are recorded the names of 1,722 American missing.

Photograph: Andrew Shiva

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