The Man Who Patton Betrayed
By: Jacquie Rose
Tags: World War I, History, Protest, World War II, Great Depression

The Man Who Patton Betrayed

A Bonus Army encampment burned within sight of the U.S. Capitol Building, 1932. (Image: Signal Corps/National Archives)

George S. Patton is one of the most renowned generals in American military history. His exploits in North Africa and Europe during World War II were the subject of a 1970 biopic and a best-selling biography by Bill O’Reilly. Even Donald Trump spoke longingly for the need for more generals like Patton to defeat ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).

Less known, however, is the private who saved Patton’s life — Joe Angelo.

World War I

Joe Angelo received a Distinguished Service Cross. Public Domain.

Private First Class Angelo was assigned as then-Lieutenant Colonel Patton’s orderly in the newly established 304th Tank Brigade during World War I. In 1918, a 305-member American tank unit assaulted two German machine-gun nests in the Argonne forest in France. However, the nests trapped the tanks and exposed them to lethal incoming rounds. As they realized that many of the men were dead, Patton and Angelo prepared to charge the nests themselves. Patton was exposed to gunfire, being critically wounded during the assault. Angelo dragged Patton to safety and treated his wounds in a shell crater. His actions saved Patton’s life.

According to Angelo’s obituary, Angelo and Patton were the only two members of the unit to survive the day. Angelo was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts. The Colonel told newspapers that Angelo was, “without doubt the bravest man in the American Army. I have never seen his equal.”

After the war, Colonel Patton continued his military career, while Angelo returned to civilian life.

The Great Depression and the Bonus Army

In 1924, Congress approved “Adjusted Compensation” for World War I veterans, they would receive $1.25 for every day overseas and $1.00 for each day served stateside. Veterans owed $50 or less were paid immediately. The remaining veterans, however, were given a certificate that would collect four percent interest with an additional twenty-five percent added upon payment, which would not be redeemable until 1945.

When the Great Depression swept through the country, Angelo became one of the millions of unemployed Americans. In 1932, Angelo walked 135 miles from his home in Camden, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C., with his certificate in hand, to join the “Bonus Army.” This “army” intended to demand immediate payment of their bonuses from President Hoover and the Congress. The rogue force included roughly 43,000 demonstrators, including approximately 17,000 veterans and their families.

The Bonus Army constructed “Hoovervilles” across the capital as part of their protest, two of the largest being located in abandoned buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue and an area of what is now Anacostia Park. In response, President Hoover called on the Army to clear the Pennsylvania Avenue encampment so that the buildings could be demolished. Three future generals participated in this operation: Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Patton.

MacArthur ordered his soldiers to set fire to the tents, brandished bayonets, and lobbed tear gas into the crowds of Bonus Army veterans and their family members. As a result, two veterans — Eric Carlson and William Hushka — were killed and an eleven-week-old baby died from possible complications from tear gas exposure.

In the chaos, Angelo approached his old boss, then-Major Patton. Patton, however, did not show any sympathy for his former orderly: “I do not know this man,” Patton said, “Take him away and under no circumstances permit him to return.” The man who saved Patton’s life received no reprieve from Patton.

Epilogue

Joe Angelo, later in life. Photographer unknown. Source: Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey) 26 Jul 1978

Less than ten years after the incident, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton solidified their legacies through their actions in World War II.

President Hoover’s successor, President Roosevelt, opposed early payments of the bonuses, fearing it would trigger inflation. Congress responded by overriding his second veto in 1936, allowing the bonuses to be paid.

The payments arrived too late for Eric Carlson and William Hushka. They were already buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Joe Angelo returned to New Jersey and died in 1978.