Speaking of Presidential sons: (historynet.com)
A sergeant from the 8th recalled encountering Roosevelt on the beach “with a cane in one hand, a map in the other, walking around as if he was looking over some real estate.”
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| Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., poses with his jeep in France |
“We’ll start the war from right here!” Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. purportedly declared as his Higgins landing craft drifted about a mile from its target destination on Utah Beach the morning of the June 6, 1944 invasion of Normandy.
"At the age of 56, Roosevelt, the son of President Theodore Roosevelt, was not only the oldest soldier deployed during Operation Overlord, but the highest-ranking American figure to storm the beaches.
"He did so with only a cane and a pistol.
"A veteran of the First World War, Roosevelt was among the first American doughboys to land in France in 1918, seeing action during the Battle of Cantigny. Reenlisting at the outbreak of World War II, Roosevelt led four amphibious assaults, from Operation Torch—the invasion of North Africa—to fighting on the beaches of Sicily and in the mountains of Italy.
"Well-liked and respected by his men, Roosevelt had to campaign hard, however, to deploy during the invasion of Normandy. His superior officer, Major General Raymond “Tubby” Barton initially rejected Roosevelt’s request to enter the European Theater and lead the 4th Infantry Division, 8th Infantry Regiment into combat. In a personal letter to Barton dated May 26, 1944, Roosevelt pleaded his case in seven succinct bullet points, noting that “I personally know both officers and men of these advance units and believe that it will steady them to know that I am with them.” Barton eventually relented. "Amid withering fire from German coastal installations, machine-gun nests, and densely packed minefields lining Utah Beach, Roosevelt remained a calm figure guiding successive waves of scrambling soldiers to the beachhead." . . .
"Roosevelt’s own son, Quentin II, was among the first wave to land at Omaha Beach, making them the only father-son duo to come ashore on D-Day. Quentin survived the war only to die in a plane crash in China in 1948.
"Tragically, five weeks after the D-Day landings the beloved general died suddenly from a heart attack.
"Three months later, for his cool valor under fire, Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:" . . .Full article...
Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. Led At Utah Beach - Warfare History Network
. . ."Ted Roosevelt and his immediate superior, the hard-drinking “Terrible Terry” Allen, led the Big Red One in an unorthodox manner. Devoted to their men, they strove from the foxhole level to build the division into a first-rate fighting organization. Allen fretted over shortages of dry socks at the front, and Roosevelt pestered mess sergeants to make sure they had enough baking powder. A soldier, Pfc. Louis Newman, recalled standing near the general one day as weary, sweating GIs were returning to camp after a long march. Their officers were riding in jeeps, but Ted ordered them out of the vehicles. Gesturing toward the enlisted men, he said, “They walk, you walk.”
"The two generals, neither of them disciplinarians, felt comfortable among the lowest ranks, placed little value on spit-and-polish, and were seldom seen in regulation uniforms. Ted usually wore a knit cap because he hated the heavy Army helmets. Ted’s aide, Lieutenant Marcus O. Stevenson, reported later, “He was the most disreputable-looking general I have ever met…He looked like the most beat-up GI you ever saw.' ” . . .
"Ted distinguished himself when detached on a special mission to Sardinia, where an Italian parachute division was holding out and refusing to surrender to the Allies. Unarmed, Ted went from unit to unit convincing the “good, plug-ugly roughneck” Italians to help drive the Germans out of their homeland. Lt. Col. Serge Obolensky of the Office of Strategic Services said of General Roosevelt, “By the sheer force and charm of his personality, and an exhibition of the coolest gallantry, he won the wavering troops to a wild personal ovation.” Six of the Italian paratroops had been assigned to kill Ted and Obolensky. Shortly before Christmas 1943, Ted accompanied French troops into the line during the bitter Monte Cassino campaign in Italy. He was at the front every day with General Juin, whom he described as a “front-fighting general.” Juin later wrote to Ted, “There is no one in the (French) Corps from the lowliest private to the most bestarred general who does not know and love you.”
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