--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a phone call one evening the corps…" description: "\"“In a phone call one evening the corps commander grew incensed when Ward mentioned his good fortune in losing no officers in combat that day. “Goddammi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/rick-atkinson-7144_phone-call_in-a-phone-call-one-evening-the-corps-co_1541594.jpg" --- # In a phone call one evening the corps commander grew… ![“In a phone call one evening the corps commander grew incensed when Ward mentioned his good fortune in losing no officers in combat that day. “Goddammit, Ward, that’s not fortunate. That’s bad for the morale of the enlisted men,” Patton snapped. “I want you to get more officers killed.” quote by Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/rick-atkinson-7144_phone-call_in-a-phone-call-one-evening-the-corps-co_1541594.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/rick-atkinson-7144_phone-call_in-a-phone-call-one-evening-the-corps-co_1541594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58a/rick-atkinson-7144_phone-call_in-a-phone-call-one-evening-the-corps-co_1541594.jpg) > ““In a phone call one evening the corps commander grew incensed when Ward mentioned his good fortune in losing no officers in combat that day. “Goddammit, Ward, that’s not fortunate. That’s bad for the morale of the enlisted men,” Patton snapped. “I want you to get more officers killed.”” [Rick Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-atkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reveals a commander’s ruthless mindset that sees officer casualties as a morale tool, exposing the brutal calculus of leadership in war. **In simple terms:** Leaders may view officer deaths as morale control. Key Takeaway Recognize the human cost of such attitudes. Themes leadership war morale Mood serious somber Type historical military When to use this quote - combat leadership - training programs - war reporting Key Concepts military strategy psychology of command ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - How does leadership style affect troop morale? - What ethical limits should exist in wartime decisions? A Different Perspective Such attitudes can erode trust and ethics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad Morale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-morale-2365168/) [Corps Commander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corps-commander-718313/) [Losing Officers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-officers-5742962/) [Officers Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/officers-combat-5742964/) [Patton Snapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patton-snapped-5742963/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Phone call](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-call/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“He doesn’t want anyone to know. Bad for leadership, bad for morale. 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