Benjamin Patton - Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History, and Family Wisdom

Most Berkley Caliber Books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs.

For details, write: Special Markets, The Berkley Publishing Group, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

Reflections on Heroes,
History and Family Wisdom

B ENJAMIN P ATTON

with J ENNIFER S CRUBY

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL,
England Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin
Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community
Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive,
Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books
(South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This book is an original publication of the Berkley Publishing Group.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third
party websites or their content.

Copyright 2012 by Benjamin Patton

Book design by Tiffany Estreicher

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of
copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY CALIBER and its logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

FIRST EDITION: March 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Patton, Benjamin, 1965

Growing up Patton / Benjamin Patton, with Jennifer Scruby.1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-1-101-56001-3

1. Patton family. 2. Patton, George S. (George Smith), 18851945Family. 3. Patton, George S.
(George Smith), 1923Family. 4. GeneralsUnited StatesBiography. 5. United States. Army
Biography. 6. Fathers and sonsUnited StatesBiography. 7. Patton, Benjamin, 1965
Family. I. Scruby, Jennifer. II. Title.

CT274.P384P37 2012

355.0092273dc23

2011037637

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity.
In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers;
however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the authors alone

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

For Tiger, Miranda, and Nicholas

W AR CHANGES PEOPLE . It defines them and sculpts their personalities and histories. Growing up in the family of a famous and influential person can also have a profound impact. The combination of these two forces can shape a life in powerful ways.

The book Growing Up Patton offers us an insiders look at the effects of war on a famous American military family, and how the limelight and legacy of greatness influenced its members. Its a fascinating, panoramic view of three very different generations. All of them struggle with war, and with the realities and burdens of living with the expectations that come with bearing an iconic last name.

As a journalist, I have covered conflicts for well over a decade, and have seen the fallout of war on families. In 2006, when I was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, it became personal. In the subsequent months it took me to get back on my feet and then ultimately return to the career I love, my family and I experienced firsthand the devastation and legacy of war up close and at home.

Our own experiences dealing with the consequences of war have marked my children in ways that are perhaps still too unformed and unarticulated to discover. What they witnessed and felt and worried about in the aftermath of my injury will no doubt have a profound effect on how they move through the world and choose a place in it. These complex emotions are ones the Patton family knows all too well.

As Ben Patton relays, the expectations for all the Patton children ran ridiculously high. And so it is from that iconic benchmark that the descendants of Americas most famous military man had to set out and make their mark.

This book beautifully illustrates the arc of the journey as the children and grandchildren of General Patton feel compelled to make sense of their military legacy through the eras of the Korean and Vietnam wars, right up to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the end, however, the members of each generation of Pattons learn to define themselves in their own right. Part of this means tackling the questions about what it means to live in a family whose history is tied up in war and killing.

In the process of learning about the Patton family, we also see the evolution of war in America, from the ticker-tape parades that welcomed home World War IIs Greatest Generation, to the Vietnam era of Bens father, when returning soldiers were spat upon. And Benunderstanding that his legacy will not be one of war but of documenting history through the lens of filmmakingbrings us up to the present day. Through him, we see whats being done to treat a syndrome that his grandfather famously discredited, post-traumatic stress disorder.

The narrative also details the compelling journey of how Bens grandfather and father, and ultimately, Ben himself, found their footholds and beachheads in life. Along the way, a fascinating cast of characters intersects with their lives, triggering a ripple effect of courage. The participants and the reader come to realize that there are many ways to leave a legacy, many ways to serve.

To Ben, This is a picture of a member of your
family uniting his vocation with his avocation.
What all of us should strive to do!Dad

I keep a framed copy of this 1969 image of Dad as CO of Blackhorse, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam, on my desk. It was his favorite photo of himself and he used to refer to it as his obit photo (which it later became, when he was buried in his fatigues). This note came taped to the back.