Restrain These Immoderate Rains

As the Chief Chaplain of the Third Army throughout the five campaigns on the Staff of General Patton, I should have some knowledge of the event because at the direction of General Patton I composed the now world famous Prayer, and wrote Training Letter No. 5, which constitutes an integral, but untold part, of the prayer story. These Incidents, narrated in sequence, should serve to enhance the memory of the man himself, and cause him to be enshrined by generations to come as one of the greatest of our soldiers. He had all the traits of military leadership, fortified by genuine trust in God, intense love of country, and high faith In the American soldier.

Msgr. James H. O'Neill

The Story of the Patton Rain Prayer

Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.

***

GJ - We had five inches of rain after the big rain, and now the rains have returned.  Sassy and I dropped off the Ichaboat (Town Car) for a minor repair, and walked home a few blocks, watching the gathering clouds.

Although parts of Arkansas will flood, no one here is experiencing the massive flooding and the new rains in Texas. 

We have been in many floods, starting with the

1. Mississippi Flood of 1965, 
2. Midland Michigan in 1986, 
3. St. Louis in 1993, and 
4. New Ulm, Minnesota, 1997.

I doubt whether those floods are close to the horrors of Texas, as flash floods crashed into homes and swept them away, the residences as dangerous to occupy as the vehicles on the road.