LETTER: Patton and Hegseth, a comparison

I generally enjoy Michael Ramirez’s cartoons. I am puzzled, however, by his recent effort “General Embarrassment — filling Patton’s boots” showing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in boots too big for him.

Gen. George S. Patton Jr. was known for his aggressive, bold and tactical leadership during World War II. He was highly respected, even by German officers, for his decisiveness and speed in North Africa, the Sicily campaign and the Battle of Bulge. Gen. Patton was also a strong personality who expressed politically incorrect sentiments. He believed that the Western allies should have allied with Germany after the war ended to prevent Soviet expansion and global communist influence.

Gen. Patton foresaw the postwar geopolitical landscape that led to the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe for the next four decades. Gen. Patton was also frequently in the doghouse of opinion during the war, for example, for slapping two soldiers who he called cowards while they were in the hospital for battle fatigue during the Sicily campaign.

The rivalry between Gen. Patton and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, often blamed on their egocentric personalities, has been criticized. Although Gen. Patton was a deeply religious person, he also believed that he was a reincarnated warrior who had participated in numerous historical battles, for which he was also questioned.

Now in 2025, Mr. Hegseth is criticized for pushing for newly proposed military fitness standards. He has made it clear that people should be promoted on the basis of merit and meeting fitness and weight standards. Mr. Hegseth is voicing his opinion on rebuilding the military to what it was before the standards were modified to accommodate diversity, equity and inclusion. This is exactly what Gen. Patton would be doing if he were here today. I believe that Mr. Hegseth is filling Gen. Patton’s boots quite well.