Roosevelt, D-Day Hero

 

June 6th marks the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, the day when America and its allies invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, and began to push Hitler’s forces out of Western Europe. Four men earned the Medal of Honor during the D-Day invasion. Many people feel that one of them, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., shouldn’t have been there in the first place. The eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and First Lady Edith Roosevelt, Theodore Jr. was 57 years old and disabled at the time of D-Day. He walked with a cane because he had been shot in the kneecap during World War I, and his heart and lungs had been weakened from a poison gas attack.  A Brigadier General, Roosevelt’s two requests to accompany the leading assault elements, were denied. His third request, a written one, was approved, allowing him to be the only general who landed in the first wave of troops.  Roosevelt asserted that his presence within the 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division would encourage the troops, who would be emboldened and comforted by seeing an older man who walked with the assistance of a cane among them. He said: “They’ll figure that if a general is going in, it can’t be that rough.”  When he discovered that the landing craft had drifted and his troops were a mile from the planned site of the invasion on Utah Beach, Roosevelt Jr. is said to have said, "We'll start the war from right here." General Omar Bradley described Roosevelt’s actions as the “single greatest act of courage” he witnessed in the entire war. His citation, for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, states  “He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France.” Roosevelt Jr. died of a heart attack on July 12, 1944, shortly after the D-Day invasion. He was buried in Sainte-Laurent-sur-Mer, near Normandy. In the 1962 movie The Longest Day he is portrayed by the actor Henry Fonda.  To read more about General Roosevelt and the other three medal of honor recipients, click here. Jennifer Bohnhoff has written several historical novels suitable for ages 11 and up. For more about Code: Elephants on the Moon, her novel about a French girl’s involvement in D-Day, click here.