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Anthony McAuliffe

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (July 2, 1898-August 11, 1975)
    Born in Washington, District of Columbia
    Acting commander of the 101st Airborne during the Battle of the Bulge (1944)
    Famously replied to a German demand to surrender during the siege of Bastogne with the one-word answer, "Nuts!' (December 22, 1944)
    Commanded the 7th Army (1953-55)
    Promoted to four-star general (1955)
    Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army Europe (1955-56)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was nicknamed 'Old Crock.'
    His 'Nuts' message was confusing to the Germans. (Although the aide who delivered it helpfully explained, 'In plain English, it means 'Go to Hell.' ')
    Asked to conduct a review of race relations in the Army, he recommended maintaining segregated units.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was married to his high school sweetheart, Helen Whitman, for 55 years.
    He parachuted with the 101st Airborne on D-Day and flew a glider with them in Operation Market Garden.
    Although outnumbered more than two to one, he commanded the defense of Bastogne (a major crossroads that was vital to German success in the Battle of the Bulge), successfully holding off the attackers until Patton's Fourth Army arrived to break the seige.
    He reversed his opinion on integration after hearing reports about the performance of integrated combat units in Korea and ordered commanders in the Far East (1951) and Europe (1952) to submit plans for full integration of their forces.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 29 Votes: 51.72% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 47.06% Annoying