January 13, 2009, - 2:44 pm
“Nuts. Signed The American Commander”: Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard, RIP
By Debbie Schlussel
A great American hero–whose memorable words to the Nazis obscured his post-WWII contributions–has died. Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard knew how to deal with the 1940 Nazis, and I’m sure he’d know how to deal with the 2008 Nazis (the “Religion of Peace”). Sad to see him go. His life was full of so many great stories, like this one:
Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard II, who died Jan. 5 at his home in Arlington County, was a West Point graduate whose decades-long military career stretched from World War II to Vietnam, but he was most often associated with one word that became instant legend. The word was “nuts,” the reply to a German surrender ultimatum during the crucial Battle of the Bulge.
Gen. Kinnard, 93, died of complications of Parkinson’s disease.
In 1944, then-Col. Kinnard was a 29-year-old assistant chief of staff to Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, commander of the 101st Airborne “Screaming Eagle” Division. When the German army launched a last-ditch attack in the Ardennes Forest on Dec. 16, the 101st was rushed into the Belgian town of Bastogne to defend the intersection of five strategic roads. Two days later, the division, outnumbered by more than 4 to 1, found itself surrounded by German tanks and infantry. The Americans were unprepared for fighting in the bitter cold and were pounded relentlessly by artillery. Their situation seemed hopeless.
On Dec. 22, the Germans sent two officers and two noncommissioned officers into Bastogne with a white flag and Lt. Gen. Heinrich von Luttwitz’s typewritten demand that U.S. forces surrender, the “one possibility” of saving American troops from “total annihilation.”
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McAuliffe’s instinctive response was to laugh and exclaim, “Us surrender? Aw, nuts!” He told his staff that he wasn’t sure how to respond officially and asked for suggestions.
“That first remark of yours would be hard to beat,” Col. Kinnard told him, and other staff members enthusiastically agreed. McAuliffe then called in a typist and dictated: “To the German Commander: Nuts!” and signed it, “The American Commander.”
The American soldiers who escorted the German emissaries back to their lines had to explain that “Nuts!” was the equivalent of “Go to hell.”
In the early morning of Christmas Day, the 101st Division repulsed a German assault. The siege of Bastogne ended when U.S. forces attacking from the south joined the 101st.
Harry William Osborn Kinnard II was born in Dallas and was raised in an Army family. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1939 and was a member of the Hawaiian Division when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. As a platoon leader in the 27th Infantry “Wolfhound” Regiment, he commanded a machine gun nest on Waikiki Beach in anticipation of a Japanese land assault.
He parachuted into Normandy overnight on June 5-6, 1944, and took command of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. He was battalion commander during the airborne invasion of Holland later in the year.
But that wasn’t the only remarkable set of achievements in this man’s amazing life:
His awards include the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal and the Silver Star.
More:
Kinnard, a career soldier who in later years was the principal architect of the Army’s concept of using helicopters in infantry warfare in Vietnam, died in Arlington, Va., his family told The New York Times.
A native of Dallas, Kinnard graduated from West Point in 1939 and spent 30 years in uniform, retiring in 1969.
He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day with the newly organized 101st Airborne Division and was decorated for heroism during its drive against German forces in the Netherlands.
Men like this made America great. We need more of them.
Lt. Gen. Harry W.O. Kinnard, Rest In Peace.
Bravery and success today are measured by how much you can concede to your enemies.
The more you bow and treat them nicely, the more medals of honor you’ll get.
That’s why all those who “tortured” the Muslim terrorists will not get any Virgins.
Honor, valor, country and God are words of the past.
Sissiness, cowardice, political correctness and treason are highly praised and rewarded nowadays.
The new U.S. political and military motto is:
“Love your enemies, even if they put a shaft up your butt.”
Independent Conservative on January 13, 2009 at 3:15 pm