THE FINAL REVIEW

        The last formal appearance of "The Ragtag Circus" was its final review by General George Patton. One battalion from each regiment in the Division was used in the formation. The Regimental Commander of the 329th Infantry acted as troop commander, with Colonel Squire Foster and Colonel Robert York as his staff. It was expected that after their year in combat the formation would be pretty ragged, but all the soldiers knew "Old Blood-and-Guts," and they were on their toes.

The lines were all straight, the rifles uniformly sloped, and nobody was out of step. When they passed in review General Patton  remarked, "That's the finest body of soldiers I have ever seen in the field." This was a considerable compliment from General Patton, who was not at all averse to singeing invective when he was not pleased. It also caused a few reporters to change their minds about "The Ragtag Circus." 

The 329th Infantry Regiment illustrated one fact: You can take young men from the United States who have had no previous military training, give them a year of tough training and, with proper equipment and strong leadership, they are equal to the best soldiers any other country can put in the field.

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