Harry A. "Paddy" Flint
| Harry Albert Flint | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | "Paddy" |
| Born |
February 12, 1888 St. Johnsbury, Vermont |
| Died | July 24, 1944 (aged 56) Caen, France |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1912–1944 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Commands held | 39th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross (2) Silver Star (3) Legion of Merit Purple Heart |
Colonel Harry Albert "Paddy" Flint (February 12, 1888 – July 24, 1944) was an officer of the United States Army during World War II. Although at 56 years of age he was considerably older than was generally acceptable for field-grade front-line infantry officers, he is most known for leading the 39th Infantry Regiment from its service in Sicily until he was mortally wounded six weeks after D-Day.
The 39th Infantry regiment's slogan, "Anything, Anytime, Anywhere - Bar Nothing", also known as the Triple-A Bar Nothing slogan, was given to the regiment by Colonel Flint. This slogan, in which the regiment took great pride, was displayed on their helmets and vehicles, even in combat. Using such readily identifiable markings was against orders, as they could give the enemy valuable intelligence as to the units and leaders they faced in battle, but Flint disregarded the risk, declaring, "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." When Flint received command of the regiment it was somewhat of a lackluster outfit, but his enthusiasm and this slogan helped to turn it into an effective fighting unit.
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, "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" at the Wayback Machine (archived October 12, 2007), explains the story.
Flint joined the 39th Infantry Regiment in Sicily, and his assignment to this unit was apparently because it was thought that his great energy would improve the performance of what to this time had been a mediocre unit. In the event this proved correct, and the 39th evolved into an exemplary combat formation. Flint's age would normally have kept him in a staff position in a support role, but soldier's talk in the 39th was that he had prevailed upon General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had been a plebe (or freshman) at West Point when Colonel Flint was a first-classman, for an infantry assignment at the front. An old cavalryman, Flint considered that France, was his "graduation exercise" as an infantry soldier.
...
Wikipedia