Hero Card 181, Card Pack 16
Photo credit: National Archives 111-SC-191911, public domain (digitally enhanced)

Hometown: Oyster Bay, NY
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: 4th Infantry Division
Military Honors: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star (4), Legion of Merit, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: July 12, 1944 - Méautis, Normandy, France
Age: 56
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

Born on September 13, 1887, to a life of privilege and high expectations, Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt Jr. (III) was the oldest son and namesake of the 26th President of the United States.

From Sagamore Hill—the family estate in Oyster Bay, New York—the Roosevelts moved to the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, New York in 1898, and into the White House in Washington D.C. in 1901, when Ted was thirteen years old. He was the older brother to Alice, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin.

Despite his famous heritage, Ted would have to build his own success. His larger-than-life father had been a sickly child and was a firm believer in the benefits living a strenuous, vigorous life. After attending both public and private schools, young Ted hoped to serve in the military and considered the Military Academy at West Point.

His father preferred that Ted volunteer for military service if the need arose, and instead attend Harvard University—the elder Roosevelt’s alma mater. Ted chose Harvard and after graduation found success in banking and publishing, but still had a desire to serve in the military as his father had.

During the Spanish-American War (1898), Theodore Roosevelt (father) was a national hero as a lieutenant colonel commanding the “Rough Rider” regiment—which he led on a daring charge up San Juan Hill to help free Cuba from Spanish rule. He’d later (posthumously) receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1910, the younger Theodore married Eleanor Butler Alexander, with whom he would have four children: Grace, Theodore IV, Cornelius, and Quentin II.

World War I

Ted’s opportunity to fulfill his true desire for military service came in 1915, when he was among the first soldiers to volunteer as the United States entered World War I (1914-1918). He left his business career to join the Army at an officer training camp in Plattsburgh, New York. Both Ted and his younger brother Archibald were commissioned as officers in June 1917.

Ted was sent to France in 1917 and was shot in the leg in the decisive Battle of Soissons, and nearly lost his vision after being gassed. His courageous leadership on the battlefield would earn him a Distinguished Service Cross, a Distinguished Service Medal, and two Silver Star Medals. By the end of the war, he was a lieutenant colonel in command of the 26th Regiment, 1st Division.

Post-War Achievements

Returning home after the armistice of November 11, 1918, Ted was instrumental in arranging meetings to plan what would become the American Legion—a patriotic organization of war veterans who focus on service to veterans, service members, and communities.

Now a war hero with proven leadership abilities in his own right, Ted attempted to follow his famous father’s footsteps into politics. He was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1919, and in 1924 was the Republican nominee for New York Governor—losing by just over 3 percentage points to Democrat Al Smith.

President Warren G. Harding’s administration appointed Ted as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1921. He was appointed as governor to Puerto Rico in 1929, and governor-general to the Philippines beginning in 1932.

World War II

As the United States hesitated to directly enter World War II (1939-1945), Theodore Roosevelt Jr. returned to active duty in the Army in April of 1941, eight months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor forced America’s official declaration of war.

Ted—whose distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt was now the President of the United States—would serve under General George S. Patton in the African theater, and later be reassigned to the European theater.

Now a brigadier general, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was assigned to take Utah Beach as part of Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in military history. He was 56 years old and suffered from poor health, requiring a cane because of arthritis and his World War I injuries. Ted was the oldest man and the highest-ranking officer to land on the beaches of Normandy in the D-Day invasion.

His 4th Infantry Division landed in the first wave of the invasion on June 6, 1944, missing the target area by 3 miles. Ted was armed with only a cane and a pistol, and famously yelled, “We’ll start the war from here!”—and ordered an advance. He later wrote to his wife, “It steadies the young men to know that I am with them, plodding along with my cane.”

According to Britannica: “For an assault that had begun with such terrible confusion, the Utah Beach landings ended as a spectacular success beyond the most optimistic expectations. The 1,800-metre error had placed the landing force away from the heavily defended area of Les Dunes de Varreville and into a less-defended section of beach. Twenty thousand troops and 1,700 motorized vehicles had landed at Utah with surprisingly few casualties—fewer than 300 men.” Utah Beach had been taken in less than an hour.

Five weeks after the successful D-Day operation at Utah Beach, on July 12, 1944, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.’s poor health caught up with him. He suffered a sudden heart attack and died at the age of 56, in Méautis, Normandy, France.

Adding to his military honors from World War I, Roosevelt would receive two more Silver Star medals, a Legion of Merit award, and the nation’s highest military award—the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (ASN: 0-139726), United States Army, for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, while serving as a commander in the 4th Infantry Division in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brigadier General Roosevelt’s written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. 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, Brigadier General 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.

Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was laid to rest with his fellow soldiers at Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France (Plot D, Row 28, Grave 45).