By Kevin King

In the February 2001 issue of Inside USU, the faculty newsletter, USU's new president compares his stye of leadership to that of World War II General Omar Bradley.

"I'm an Omar Bradley, not a General Patton," Kermit Hall said of his leadership style.

In case the comparison is lost on USU students -- who were born decades after Patton's death and were children when Bradley died -- here's a thumbnail sketch:

They kinda look alike, too: Hall, left, and Bradley

Bradley, who had distinguished himself leading troops to victories in North Africa and Sicily, was hand-picked by General Dwight Eisenhower to command the 1st U.S. Army during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.

A native of Clark, Mo., Bradley displayed an uncharacteristically mild temperament for a military leader. Newspaper accounts quoted in the PBS-TV online site for Guts and Glory described him as a "quiet gentleman who might pass for a professor." His polite demeanor, however, was coupled with a demanding nature and the mind of a brilliant military tactician.

General George S. Patton Jr. was much different. According to Guts and Glory, Patton was "audacious and profane . . . [but] one of the ablest and most controversial U.S. commanders in World War II."

	The San Gabriel, Calif., native was fond of presenting himself as a modern-day cavalryman, outfitted with ivory-handled sidearm and leading tank outfits across Nazi-occupied France.
General George S. "Blood and Guts" Patton, Jr.

Patton once exclaimed, "Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance." Patton distinguished himself in various World War II campaigns including the invasion of North Africa and the capture of Sicily.

It was during the Sicilian campaign that Patton generated considerable controversy when he struck two hospitalized G.I.s whom he accused of being a malingerer.

In April 1945, Patton was promoted to temporary four-star general, but was removed by Eisenhower from his leadership of the 3rd Army for making inflammatory remarks concerning the denazification policies.

If Hall truly is like Bradley, Utah State University administation, faculty, staff, and students can look forward to an uncharacteristically mild tempered, quiet gentleman, with brilliant leadership.

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