Harry A. "Paddy" Flint

Colonel Harry Albert "Paddy" Flint (1888-July 24, 1944) was an officer of the United States Army during World War II.

"The following text is adapted from Arlington National Cemetery (see external links)"

The "Old Man"

At 56, cavalry-trained Colonel Harry A. Flint was overage to command infantry in battle. Yet there he was, in France, leading the 39th Infantry Regiment.

AAA-0

Col. Flint gave the regiment its Triple-A Bar Nothing slogan: "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere - Bar Nothing." The regiment took great pride in the AAA-O slogan, displaying it on their helmets and vehicles, even in combat. When questioned about the soundness of the practice, Col. Flint confidently declared, "The enemy who sees our regiment in combat, if they live through the battle, will know to run the next time they see us coming."

Stenciling this slogan on his soldiers' helmets was against regulations, but it paid off in helping turn the 39th Regiment from a lackluster unit into something of a legend.

:"The best example of useful gimmickry during World War II was the "AAA-O" of Paddy Flint. When Colonel Flint assumed command of the 39th Infantry in Sicily in 1943, it was not a good fighting outfit. Paddy immediately had "AAA-O" stenciled on the helmet of every man in the regiment."

:"When questioned by his corps commander, who had issued orders against such stenciling on helmets, Paddy explained, "That means anything, anywhere, any time bar nothing." It was so-explained by General Omar N. Bradley in A Soldier’s Story, but junior officers in the 39th, said they could lick, "Anybody, anyplace, any time bar none." Regardless of the version, it worked, and Flint made the 39th one of the best-fighting outfits in Europe."

--- from [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1983/sep-oct/pickett.html "Leadership for the 1980's"] , an article in the Air University Review, September/October 1983

The AAA-0 slogan also showed up in a strange stamp cancellation that had some people wondering what on earth it meant. Apparently, Paddy's 39th Infantry had so impressed the German Army that they used the unit's slogan/logo on a pseudo-cancellation on a propaganda postage stamp. An article by Jerry Jensen, [http://www.gps.nu/jerry/odds02.html "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"] , explains the story.

Patton on Paddy

General George Patton once commented upon Col. Flint in the following manner: "Paddy Flint is clearly nuts, but he fights well."

Paddy in combat

In France, as in North Africa and Sicily, "Paddy" Flint's aging, horse-bowed legs sometimes let him down in battle. When they did he would sit down for a spell. His men knew, and they loved him for his nerve. It was soldier's talk that "Ike" Eisenhower, a West Point plebe when the Colonel was a first-classman, had something to do with keeping Paddy up front. The arrangement suited old Paddy right down to the ground. France, beamed the ruddy Colonel, was his "graduation exercise" as a footslogger.

On the Saint-Lô-Périers road, Paddy's outfit was held up by heavy mortar fire. Up front, as usual, the Colonel and a rifle patrol soon found the trouble. Said Paddy over the walkie-talkie: "Have spotted pillbox. Will start them cooking."

He called for a tank, rode atop it in a rain of fire as it sprayed the hedgerows. The tank driver was wounded. Paddy crawled down, went forward afoot. A sniper's bullet got him as he led his patrol into the shelter of a farmhouse.

Aid men soon came up, loaded the Colonel on a stretcher. Said a private as they started to the rear: "Remember, Paddy, you can't kill an Irishman—you can only make him mad." Colonel Flint smiled. Next day he died. Colonel Harry A. Flint, Commanding Officer of the 39th Infantry Regiment, died of his combat wounds on 24 July 1944. He is buried at Section 2, Site 310 of Arlington National Cemetery.

ee also

References

*Anderson, Robert A., "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere Bar Nothing": Remembering "Paddy" Flint, Part I". Periodical: Journal of America's Military Past 24, no.1 (Spring 1997): 52-66.
*Anderson, Robert A., "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere Bar Nothing": Remembering 'Paddy' Flint: Part II". Periodical: Journal of America's Military Past 24, no.2 (Summer 1997): 71-81.
* Anderson, Robert A., "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere Bar Nothing": Remembering "Paddy" Flint: Part III." Periodical: Journal of America's Military Past 24, no.3 (Fall 1997): 61-71.

External links

* [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/haflint.htm Arlington National Cemetery web page for "Paddy" Flint]
* [http://www.pattonhq.com/unknown/chap13.html Patton: ...clearly nuts, but fights well]
* [http://www.maiasbooks.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=1014&CLSN_2274=12098659862274f8e387d3d2ebe7439c "Paddy: The Colorful Story of Colonel Harry A. "Paddy" Flint" by Robert A. Anderson]