26. The Weird Honored Latrine
As became immediately apparent to George Patton, it was all a huge misunderstanding. The French had mistaken the crossed sticks for the religious symbol, and “Abandoned Rear” for the deceased soldier’s name. “Abandoned Rear” was actually the designation for a covered latrine, to warn others from digging in that spot.
“I never told them the truth“, wrote Patton. Decades later, during WWII, he passed through the same village and was given a hearty procession by the locals. They took him to the long-buried latrine, which the villagers had dutifully maintained over the years with all the dignity due to a fallen soldier.