Patton Was Crucial In The Removal Of The Bonus Marchers

Patton, then a Major, served as executive commander of the 3rd Cavalry in July 1932 when General Douglas MacArthur, the Army Chief of Staff, summoned the unit to Washington. Having assumed command of the 600 members of the 3rd Cavalry, Patton was given the order by MacArthur to attack with bayonets and tear gas on the "Bonus Army" on July 28. Patton was not pleased with MacArthur's actions because he had earlier declined to give the command to use force to scatter the veterans despite acknowledging the validity of their complaints. Even though Patton subsequently admitted he found the task "very disagreeable," he believed that suppressing the marchers stopped an uprising and saved lives and property.

He personally directed the 3rd Cavalry as it moved down Pennsylvania Avenue to scatter the demonstrators. In the march, Patton ran across Joe Angelo, his former orderly, and forcibly told him to leave because he thought it may make news. On March 1st, 1934, Patton received his promotion to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army. In early 1935, he was moved to the Hawaiian Division to take the position of G-2. Patton accompanied the fanatical Japanese leadership's growing hatred and ambitions for conquest. In response to the atrocities committed by Japanese forces against Chinese during the Sino-Japanese conflict, he wrote a plan to intern the Japanese residents of the islands in case of an attack.