Voting Station

Paul D. Harkins

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Military Personnel

The Resume

    (May 15, 1904-August 21, 1984)
    Born in Boston, Massachusetts
    General
    Deputy chief of staff for George S, Patton
    Commandant of Cadets at West Point (1946-51)
    Led the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1962-64)

Why he might be annoying:

    His aides in Vietnam considered him inflexible, especially in refusing to acknowledge the deteriorating military and political situation of the Diem regime.
    He said about Buddhist monks protesting against the repressive policies of Diem's government, 'The Buddhists, they just blow everything out of proportion, as far as I'm concerned.'
    He was nicknamed 'General Blimp' by the press corps over the belief that he exaggerated American and South Vietnamese military successes.
    Reflecting his estrangement from the press, at his farewell party, he said he would continue to follow progress of the war from afar, 'If I can only find the truth in the things I read.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was captain of the polo team at West Point.
    He was one of the planners of the Allied landings in Sicily (July, 1943).
    He earned the nickname 'Ramrod' from his determination to fulfill Patton's dictate that the Third Army would be constantly moving forward in France.
    He was described by 'Time' as 'looking every inch the professional soldier.'
    He was a technical consultant for the movie 'Patton.'
    He was married to Elizabeth Mae Conner for 51 years.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying