What happened when George S. Patton encountered Private Charles Kuhl in a Sicily hospital?

On August 3, 1943, while visiting the 15th Evacuation Hospital near Nicosia, Sicily, General George S. Patton encountered Private Charles Kuhl, who was hospitalized but showed no outward signs of physical injury.1

When Patton asked Kuhl about his condition, the soldier replied, "I guess I just can’t take it." In response, Patton cursed at the soldier, berated him as a coward, slapped his face with his glove, and kicked him out of the tent. It was later determined that Kuhl was suffering from malaria and chronic dysentery.1

This incident, along with a similar encounter with another soldier, was a significant controversy that led to a formal reprimand from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Striking a soldier is a violation of the fundamental ethical principle that military leaders must treat their subordinates with dignity and respect, regardless of the pressures of combat.1