Theodore Roosevelt's Medal of Honor
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- There is, of course, a story behind every Medal of Honor awarded, and there is also the story of the medal itself. And those two stories intertwine in the story of the nation’s only chief executive to have been awarded the nation’s highest and most prestigious military decoration.
Check out our new shop for fun The History Guy merchandise:
thehistoryguy-...
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
www.thetiebar....
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
Find The History Guy at:
Patreon: / thehistoryguy
Facebook: / thehistoryguyyt
Please send suggestions for future episodes: Suggestions@TheHistoryGuy.net
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
Subscribe for more forgotten history: / @thehistoryguychannel .
Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
thehistoryguy-...
Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #theodoreroosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt is my favorite U.S. President. I was unaware of the "controversy" surrounding his MOH. It doesn't make me think any less of him. He was such a strong American with such a great patriotic spirit.
Theodore Roosevelt was a radical Fabian Progressive and he was key to the writing of two bills that when ratified became the 16th and 17th Amendments to the US Constitution. These plunged the United States into Socialism and debt to the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank.
Douglas MacArthur's Medal of Honor was a different kettle of fish, and bears looking into.
That's for darn sure!!! Kimmel and Short in Hawaii didn't know the Japanese were coming and they were sacked. MacArthur wrote in his autobiography that he was "sure the Japanese had suffered a great defeat" when informed of the strike on Hawaii. Yet, he refused to order his B-17's to attack Japanese bases on Formosa and wound up getting most of his air force destroyed on the ground. Imho, it seems that getting a MoH depends more on who you know, not what you do. That said, I think TR was deserving.
I don’t believe he should have received the Medal of Honor
Nice pepperboxes.
Gen. Dutch Corta also was on the beach on D-Day. Still a good video.
Theodore Roosevelt did not require a medal of honor for proof of honor and courage during his life; that was proven over the span of his entire life and career.
Notwithstanding, anyone who campaigns for such an award is unequivocally unworthy of same.
@@dewardroy6531 What he was campaigning for was fair treatment. The medal was being held up for political reasons, so his friends countered politics with more politics.
God bless us, if we could only have more men like him now.
One thing not mentioned is when he was shot while giving a speech. Got up, finished the speech, was treated and released and continued to campaign. Tough old bugger if you ask me.
His speech papers in his pocket saved his life. 9
And he didn’t let himself get dragged away by bodyguards, either. He stood up, and told the bystanders to stop beating up Schrank and bring him over so he could look him in the eye and ask why he did it. Ain’t gonna see that happening today.
Roosevelt also famously started his subsequent (50-minute) speech with "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”
Just like Trump, right?
In fairness, this was before there was Secret Service was in it's earliest stages of protecting the president at that time. The first people on the shooter were his personal bodyguard and one of his secretaries who was an ex-football player. The bullet hit his steel eyeglass case and went through a 50 page speech he had in his pocket. Interestingly, the speech was titled "Progressive Cause Greater than Any Individual," another fine example of how, in those days, the Republican party WAS the progressive, liberal party, and how starkl that ideological shift has been.
The bullet did lodge in his chest, though. But as an experienced combat officer he knew since he was not aspirating blood it hadn't reached his lungs, so he rose and insisted that the shooter not be injured, just taken away. He then finished his speech before seeking medical attention.
There really is no comparison to a nick on the ear of a draft dodger to what Roosevelt both experienced, performed, and his purpose. He established the parks service, was a conservationist, a true war hero, a champion of progressive causes, rather than a desperately power hungry narcissist.
Did he come up fist-pumping and saying, "Fight! Fight! Fight"?
The medal of honor awarding criteria was not as stringent then as it is now. I give him more credit for trying to get the troops ill with yellow fever and malaria sent home for care.
On the other hand, there were only two medals awarded for bravery or valor in 1898: The Medal of Honor and the Certificate of Merit. So the fact he wasn't awarded either one is a bit suspect.
The Victoria Cross was the same. At the time of its inception it was pretty much the only award for valor that could be awarded. Acts in the 1800's and early 1900's would not necessarily rise to the level the medal more recently requires, but they were legitimately earned.
My grandfather was a ROUGH RIDER. He was forever sad that he and others were not able to go to Cuba with the first troops. He also was forever proud of his comrades and of being a ROUGH RIDER. Many of them got together many times through the years. I have several of the programs from the events and an old metal that was given to them from TR. BULLY!
My Great Grandfather was a Major in Cuba, don't think he ever met Teddy. We've got his 30/40 Krag and his sidearm he carried in WW1, he was a Brig. General in the Ohio National Gaurd.
One thing to remember is that Roosevelt was haunted by what he viewed as the great family shame of his father hiring a substitute to fight for him in the Civil War. Roosevelt (in my opinion) over compensated for this by demonstrating an almost pathological need to prove his valor throughout his life. It is not surprising that he would actively campaign for the Medal of Honor. As to whether it was truly deserved, I don't know, but I am a huge fan of Roosevelt, he is my favorite president, and I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I couldn’t agree more. I love how you not only present the counter argument to your own stance, you present it first. Our brains must be wired the same.
I think it's because if you are not critical about your own stance/thoughts on things, you haven't considered them long enough to form your own opinion? That's just my 2 cents, not sure if it makes sense though.
Agreed on all counts. Even disregarding all of the more outlandish stories about TR, he's still my favorite president.
Well said and me o. The three best Presidents ever: Washington, Teddy and Ronald Reagan. Trump is closing the gap.
My favorite President but hard to comprehend someone campaigning for an award of that magnitude. Things were different back then I guess.
Thank you, Lance, for not referring to him as "Teddy", a name he reportedly despised. Those who knew & liked him never spoke that name in his presence. As to his seeking "the glory of war" attitude, his son's death in World War One dispelled that notion forever.
Yeah, I always make sure to refer to him as Theodore, just to stay on his good side in case he ever comes back somehow. It’s unlikely, but I’d rather play it safe.
@@SynchronizorVideos Interesting point. I believe in the after-life vaguely outlined in Hebrew and Greek Bibles. However, absent are the details. I wonder if reception to Paradise will be like the reception at Fort Ord in 1968: barking Drill Angels, painted spots to stand on, hours of forms, do's and don't's. If Mr. Roosevelt is there, I, too, would not want to be on his "sh*@! list. 😂
@@donalddodson7365Afterlife is another valid reason to play it safe.
Also, your reply has me laughing, imagining Heaven’s version of the Shark Attack.
@@SynchronizorVideos Yes, that is why I always refer to Chuck Norris as Charles. Can't be too safe.
A heard thing to Bear😂
T.R. is still to this day; the only one to have been awarded the Medal of Honor and Nobel Peace Prize.
Have you ever read “The Imperial Cruise”??
Did not deserve the peace prize.
Perhaps didn’t deserve the MOH either.
Wron and wrong again@@ObservingtheObvious
@@michaeleasterwood6558
Unfortunately, you are the one that is misinformed. You need to brush up beyond revisionist history that paints such a glowing picture of Theodore Roosevelt.
During his time it was commonly taught in schools white supremacy. All other races were inferior. Why don’t you look into how many lives taken by the US forces during his administration. The US killed far more Filipinos than the Spanish ever did whom supposedly we were liberating.
@@michaeleasterwood6558
Also, any medal of honor winner does not seek the medal; it is granted him. Typically most all will say they don’t deserve it any more than anybody else they fought beside and typically thought those that died deserved it more. TR sought to receive the award to further his political aspirations.
Oh, and concerning his “peace negotiations“ he favored the Russians, who lost and basically told the Japanese they should be happy that they won, and that should be enough. In that damn age, those who fought in wars that lost usually paid reparations for covering those that lost loved ones during the war. Roosevelt negotiated only on the side of the white people and not the Japanese.
And although this didn’t happen during Roosevelts administration, the US kicked in the door for trade with Japan. Also took the Hawaiian islands from the reigning monarch.
The Nobel Peace Prize is a joke, though. Obama got it and he killed more children with his drone campaign than all other Nobel Peace Prize winners put together.
One thing you didn’t mention was that the Rough Riders had been intended as a cavalry unit but the US deployment was so botched that their horses didn’t reach Cuba (Roosevelt had made his own arrangements to bring his horse over) so they had to fight as an infantry unit. While I personally have no opinion as to whether or not TR deserved the Medal of Honor, I do think it’s impressive that he was willing and able to adapt to a situation he hadn’t prepared for and risk becoming a target so that he could encourage and support his men in the field.
Correct- their horses were in Florida. The 10th fought dismounted as well.
Given Roosevelt's political connections, the award has to remain controversial. How many ordinary soldiers and NCOs never got the awards they deserved? As for officers, I myself personally know of an award (not the MOH) to an officer who did not deserve it.
I know of many I personally served with. Remember, it’s almost a competition among commanders to be able to brag about how many members of their unit got awards and decorations. These days, you can be considered for a decoration if you took a shit under fire!
Good for you.
I got the gcm I did my absolute best not to earn.
I had no idea Theodore earned the Medal Of Honor. That's so cool.
His son (1944) actually got the MoH before he did (2001).
It’s kind of arrogant to think that you are entitled to receive the Medal of Honor.
@@HVACSoldierExactly!
How about earning the Medal of honor and a Nobel Peace prize?
@@WALTERBROADDUS Yasser Arafat was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, so I don't hold that in high regard.
There are many men who deserved the Medal of Honor and there are men who got the award that probably didn't deserve it. I am not in the position to make that judgement. I have known many war veterans who fought bravely, risking their lives to protect their comrades. I don't think that someone who has risked nothing deserves the award. I know that both Theodore Senior and Theodore Junior risked their lives, but there are some that got it just for being a general officer and ordering men to die for their glory.
Smedley Butler was awarded TWO Medals, along with lesser fruit salad. (His daddy was in congress, holding an important position.) He tried to return the first one, but was told to shut up and wear the Medal.
He was a goof that dared not criticize the government until he GOT HIS FIRST RETIREMENT CHECK
Nineteen men have received the Medal of Honor twice. There are actually three Medals of Honor, one for each department within the Department of Defense, and five of the double recipients were Marines who received the Army and Navy Medals for the same action.
To ask for it and demand it is not honorable.
Here's a piece of history for you: Teddy Roosevelt was the only US soldier to be awarded a medal of honor based on the recommendation of a Confederate general. Joe Wheeler was a Confederate general.
"War is politics by other means".
Completely different context there bud
Back in the 1800's, cowboys hung lanterns from their saddles at night.
It's the first example of Saddle Light Navigation.
Oh that's a good one
That is fantastically terrible. I love it.
😂
This joke would take a lot of lead up today. But it's still gold 😂
Pooh.
Theodore Roosevelt tended to draw strong opinions, and it is generally agreed he was nominated for Vice President to get him out of office as New York governor (McKinley’s first vice president had died in office).
Republicans put him in as vice president, because Teddy even scared them.. They thought that would give him no power. LMAO didn't work out to well for his political enemies.
Good morning History Guy and everyone watching. I am retiring from the workforce in 18 days!
Congratulations
Congratulations, sir! Enjoy your time away from the rat race
Good for you! Congrats, and enjoy your retirement!!
I'm twice retired but back to working again😂.
Lucky 🍀 you! I’m jealous.
its interesting that there were so many MOH winners in US Army holding high rank... a similar situation was happening in the British army in same era where a noticeable number of generals were Victoria Cross winners ( a rarely awarded medal , even in world wars ) . but courageous and swash-buckling junior officers don't always make great generals
yes and ignoring grunt/squaddie efforts of comparable or more valour was not uncommon.
There is always an element of subjectivity and context in the awarding of any medal. That Roosevelt was a volunteer and untrained soldier officer goes a long way toward approving the award. The level of his bravery, an undeniable character trait, in the situation would only be expected of a twenty year veteran.
As long as it was awarded I guess he deserved it but cases like his also played a part in reforming the process to what it now is. Today unless 2 person minimum actually see your actions your done no matter how many letters others write. Of course that means some who are truly deserving never get it.
Shafter’s horse 🐴 deserved a Medal of Honor 🥇
Lol had to be a draft horse, because he’d have to have been drafted to take that job.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Certainly!
He may well have been more proud to have a nuclear aircraft carrier named after him. I think it is a more fitting tribute to the kind of person he was.
Dude was a big proponent of a strong navy. I bet he would have loved supercarriers.
On a related note, Roosevelt was the first person to have held the office of US President, and flown in an aircraft. In 1910 he famously took a ride in a Wright Flyer.
@@SynchronizorVideos Wow..very cool I didn't know that.
Those who clamor for a specific military award are usually unworthy of it. Let one’s peers have a deciding vote and they will look up to the awardee as deserving of it.
Thanks for the Teddy Roosevelt Medal of Honor video. I’d love to see a video on why a third of recipients had the medal taken away
Thank you!
When the Medals of Honor were introduced, they were the only decorations awarded by the US military. That meant both a lot of awards for meritorious non-combat service, as well as awards to civilians including W.F. Cody and Dr. M.E. Walker. The revocations refocused the Medals on military personnel who displayed gallantry while placing their lives at risk. The Army Medals of Honor awarded to Cody and Walker were both revoked, then restored.
I explained that in my post above. Many people who were awarded the MOH in the Civil War and post-civil war period were not worthy of our nation's highest honor. Were they brave? Yes, but there is a hierarchy for medals and criteria and the MOH is the very TOP of that system and the MOH was handed out at that time in groups with little or no integrity in the awarding and many people really did not deserve it. It was political. Teddy Roosevelt was actually the main reason the criteria was increased drastically and why other lower medals were enacted.
He was brave, he was a good leader but Teddy did not earn an MOH and if you really want to know why he doesn't deserve it go read all of the citations for the MOH that were awarded AFTER WW1, read the ones for Bronze and Silver star awards after WW1 and you will see that what Teddy did in that easy war in Cuba against an incompetent and easy enemy was really nothing. Teddy's conflict was over in under 4 months, it was nothing.
Simply compare him to the other people who really earned the awards, that will be enough. Then you will know who the real heroes are.
@@jeanne-marie8196 the 1917 Nelson commission revoked a number of medals. Some, like William Cody and Mary Edwards Walker, were revoked because the person receiving the award was not technically serving in the military. Both of those were later reinstated by acts of congress.
The bulk of those revoked, however, were 864 given to the 27th Maine volunteers, which essentially, had been given because some of them volunteered to stay three days past the end of their enlistment doing garrison duty in DC so that other troops could br sent to Gettysburg. Another 29 were revoked, as they had been awarded for merely serving as guards for Lincoln’s funereal. The commission decided that those didn’t meet the standard.
@@jcsinca3387 First of all, as I explained in MY post, the Medal of Honor was the ONLY decoration available to the Departments of the Army and Navy during the war, so it was awarded for meritorious service of many kinds. Secondly, Roosevelt's actions at San Juan Hill were more Medal-worthy than those of the highest-ranking soldier, sailor, and Marine to receive the Medal of Honor during World War 2.
As a 24 year Vet I say that his insistence that he deserved the Medal of Honor tells me that he didn't.
I’m a great fan of Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency, however, I’ve always held the belief that anyone who campaigns for such recognition as the Medal of Honor should never receive it.
Mmmmmm, it might be interesting if you did a segment on Doug MacArthur's MOH.
The awarding of the MOH should in no way be controversial. As a Marine officer who was awarded a combat medal noted, the award depends upon so many factors such as witnesses, popularity among fellow soldiers, and an efficient administration, it was really a matter of chance. If there is any doubt, then no. Too many medals are political today with medals being retroactively awarded because of skin color or revoked because the battle is today, considered disgraceful.
He😂History Guy 🤓 I have a 1st printing of The Rough Riders with a short handwritten letter stating this book as a gift 🎁
I am glad it was awarded in 2001.
I had thought that JFK had this award! Interesting.
My friend's great grandfather fought with Roosevelt in the ruff riders and he has the flag that flew over the battle field they fly it on the fourth of July God bless America ❤️💪👍😎
I was recommended for the "Soldier's Medal" after puting my life in danger disarming a deranged soldier who was determined to kill our Division General and his staff. The attack that I prevented may or may not have saved the General's life. The medal recommendation was submitted by my Battalion Commander and approved all the way up to the Commanding General (The General who's life I might have saved) and it was down graded to an Army Achievement Medal, a medal the the Battalion Commander could have given me on his own accord. I was told that since the General was in the loop it would look suspicious of him to award such a prestigious medal. Politics are always involved with high ranking awards.
While I hold great respect for. President Roosevelt, his service in the conflict in my opinion did not rise to the occasion as it were! The actions of so many recipients showed much greater devotion to duty and dedication to duty than he. In my opinion it was purely political!!
Thank you for the lesson.
My gut says no, but no one whose opinion should really count is here to tell the tale, so there we are. I would say that the intervening 100 years might give insight to the answer. But that doesn’t take away from what he did, and the fact that he didn’t want the command offered reflects positively on his character.
As I understand it The Medal of Honor was handed out like pezz in the early days. It should not be given the same meaning it has today.
I vote "more politics" ... that's okay, it's better than monarchy we had before ...
TR wasn’t accused of being modest
TR deserves it....He Always... Always led from the front..a TRUE LEADER.
A minor point: Teddy Roosvelt, Jr. was the only American General on Utah Beach as far as I know, however, Normand Cota, landed on Omaha and played an important role in getting the troop off the beach and through the Atlantic Wall. Roosevelt arrived in the first wave at Utah beach, while Cota came in the second wave.
as a veteran of war - I have seen bravery, I have seen fools! at times it is very difficult to tell the differnce - you are trained to react, be ready, but when God deems it some fall for little reason and other remain to clean up, or be honored! as for "Teddy" it is too late for me to tell you what was correct!
Seems suspect giving him the Medal of Honor, but I wasn't there, nor do I know anyone that was there, nor do I know of all of the criteria for awarding the medal, nor have I served in the military Very interesting though
Man charges machine guns uphill on a horse...clearly not deserving😂
If we're going to talk about Medals of Honor that were given out for politics, let's talk about Veracruz. Woodrow Wilson (TR's nemesis) stumbled into an invasion of Mexico through his incompetence, and occupied Veracruz. The battle that ensued resulted in the deaths of 21 Americans. However nearly 3 times as many - 56 men - were awarded the medal of honor. I strongly suspect the awards were given to deflect blame from the president for what was basically a blunder.
Any discussion of righting wrongs on over-awarding the medal should include a discussion of Veracruz. And once that's done, let's go ahead and strip that Silver Star from LBJ.
The father of a friend of mine was in Naval Intelligence and asked for LBJ's personnel file. He told me in the 1980s that LBJ got the Silver Star for not messing his drawers when the Japanese plane attacked the one he was on.
One thing people don't know is that until WW1 the only medal available was the Medal of Honor. The Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star were created in 1918 and the Bronze Star not until WWII.
@@samuelsullivan9546 Not true. The Purple Heart was instituted in 1782. If you're speaking of medals for gallantry in action, you may be correct.
@@JPD1966 It's even worse than that. The plane didn't even get to the site of the battle, but turned around with an engine problem. The write-up mentioned the attack, but didn't include that detail, so it looked like LBJ endured combat, which he did not. And he was the only person on the plane who got a medal. He was a congressman on a fact-finding mission who got a commission as a Lieutenant Commander and did nothing in the war other than war tourism.
@@tjh44961The Purple Heart was only awarded 3 times prior to being reinstated in 1932. All 3 awards were by General Washington in 1782 to Continental Army soldiers. It was reinstated as an award for combat wounds (and made retroactive to the 1st World War) as part of the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth.
If you need to ask to get the Medal of Honor, you clearly didn’t earn it. It’s for the others WHO WITNESSED the valor to recommend it.
He's your real dad
love your cufflinks
@@ChrissiX thanks! So do I.
He should have been awarded the MOH at the time. He gave up a cushy job to lead troops into battle. His charge up Kettle hill was without question and act above and beyond the call of duty. I was all political that he didn't receive it in his lifetime.
There are numerous instances of men arising to the standard of being awarded the CMOH but were denied the award for various reasons. Likewise there are numerous instances of men being awarded the CMOH that did not meet that standard. While I personally believe Roosevelt Sr deserved to be awarded the CMOH it was not President Clinton's responsibility to conduct a review of numerous cases of past heroics and decide that injustice had occurred, and awarding the medal. You left out the fact that the Roosevelts are still an incredibly powerful family in New York politics and Hillary Clinton, wife of President Clinton, both from Arkansas, was running for Senate in New York at the time.
@@AirborneDoc-nb1pe the hearings in Congress were bipartisan in support. And it is common to review past awards. But I agree, politics was involved.
What is the CMOH?
Is it a new "I was there" ribbon?
I know of a MOH which is voted by congress and awarded by the Prez.
I know of the DSC, the Silver and the Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and even the Good Conduct Medal, but know of no CMOH.
Medal of Honor, hence MoH. No such thing as CMOH.
President Carter violated the Combat requirement when he reinstated the Medal of.Honor to a female doctor for a non-combat role merely because she was female. Revoking hers and many of those others was the one good thing Nelson Miles did.
@@clayedwards987she was Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who was awarded for her actions in a PRISONER OF WAR, which DOES qualify as combat.
The fact that TR was advocating for his receipt of the MOH should automatically removed him from consideration.
By that logic, any promotion or raise you advocate for yourself at work should automatically remove you from consideration!
Nothing wrong with stating your case & it sounds like he accepted the decision without whining.
He deserved it, if nothing else but for the way he lead during the war and the stuff he did afterward. Side note: my youngest daughter, a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, named our last grandson Theodore after him. Theo is now 5 and in kindergarten.
Roosevelt's uncle on his mother's side was a man named James Dunwoody Bulloch. Bulloch was the CSA's chief foreign agent in Great Britain during the Civil War. He is chiefly known for obtaining ships from English shipbuilders that were used as commerce raiders by the Confederate Navy, an example which was the CSS Alabama.
This may have been already mentioned, but at that time, the Medal of Honor was the only medal for bravery. The Purple Heart existed. So there were no Bronze or Silver Star medals for "lesser" acts. From our standpoint, Medal of Honor actions and recipients are very rare. Not due to a lack of courage, but there are the other medals that can be awarded instead. When you read about the number of Medal of Honor recipients from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War, the numbers are somewhat jarring, given how few have been awarded starting in WWI, where there were other grades of medals.
Roosevelt and his some were the first father/son MOH awardees to earn it while both were in combat. Arthur MacArther’s was while under fire, but Douglas’ was for POLITICS and PROPAGANDA!
No, Theodore Roosevelt should NOT have gotten the MoH, not back then, not 100 years later. It is, as mentioned, highly debatable how much he was "exposed to enemy fire" when getting up Kettle Hill (not San Juan Hill, which doesn't exist), as Pershing's account (and that of others) state that he greeted Roosevelt when the later finally reach the ridge.
The award should much rather have been give to the first white officer to actually make it up into the trenches, Lt. Jules Garesche Ord, in charge of a troop of the (colored) 10th Cavalry, before being killed by shot in the neck.
Or First Sergeant Givens, who took command of Ord's troop until the fighting ceased.
Or Sgt.Berry, who took both the regimental flag of the 10th as well as that of the (white) 3rd Cavalry as one of the first men overall to the top of the ridge. It is most likely that both of those men were never considered for the MoH, simply out of racism, being members of a colored regiment, which were rather looked down upon (hence the mentioned cropped photo usually seen, leaving out all those "Buffalo Soldiers" that were to the left and the right on the original photo).
Also deserving of the MoH would have been Lt. John H. Parker, who led the Gatling gun detachment for the otherwise rather ineffective US artillery, who took the initiative to located his 3 working guns in such a way that they could strafe the from their elevated position the Spanish trenches on top of the San Juan heights, thus allowing any of the US infantry (dismounted cavalry) to make it in substantial numbers of those heights in the first place. But his contribution was rather dismissed as his initiative was not in line with the orders he received to remain inactive by his superiors...
Please read “the Imperial Cruise”
Any one seeking the MOH doesn’t/didn’t deserve it.
T.R. deserves a critical, objective look, not heaps of praise.
In my mind, it cheapens the M.O.H. to give it to everyone who "exposes themselves" to enemy fire. There are other Medals and Citations for those millions of us so "exposed." It should be the very extraordinary "exposure," resulting in achieving something that, without this individual's effort, would likely not have occurred. My impression is the M.O.H. process is tainted by considerations of rank, race, and reputation.
That was really interesting... you would think Roosevelt being awarded the MOH would be mentioned in High School history classes, when talking about his history, but it's not... well,at least not when I was in school. BTW... that's some cool cuff links you have there!
So, did he deserve it? I have mixed feelings, but the thing that spoiled it for me is that he acted like a spoiled child being denied a toy, saying "I am entitled to the Medal of Honor, and I want it"
Politics in war - go figure. The War Department's conduct of that war and the poor support it provided to its soldiers was scandalous. And the American military did not begin to develop a system of escalating awards for merit and bravery until late in the 20th century. Mostly - a Medal of Honor or a brevet promotion or nothing. TR wanted recognition for his Regiment and an acknowledgment that he did his duty and served bravely. He was victimized by politics and an embarrassed War Department. Glad he finally got his due!
Just being "exposed to fire" is insufficient to warrant The Medal. Virtually every member of the unit would qualify. I admire TR a great deal, but in all honesty, his Medal should be downgraded to a Bronze or Silver Star.
If the review board decided that Theodore Roosevelt deserved the MOH, then I concur, since it their duty to weigh details and make that decision. However, I wonder if they look at every case in the light of who the individual was as well as what their actions were. My guess is there are many who have been deserving of the MOH and didn’t get it for a variety of reasons. Of course, many of their cases will never be reviewed.
I would say that Theodore Roosevelt is more deserving of the Medal of Honor than Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur was awarded his MoH after his escape from the Philippines, yet his inaction to prepare the islands for a Japanese attack strikes me as dereliction of duty. I don't get the adulation for MacArthur. He exceed his orders on the Bonus Army; botched the defense of the Philippines and was insubordinate during Korea.
He was one hell of a human being... better than most. I suspect he probably did deserve it and a few others with him.
T. Roosevelt is without a doubt my favorite U.S. President, I wish those who presume to think they are worthy to aspire to that honored position would take lessons from him. Did or does he deserve a MoH? No, when you look at those he fought beside who did not get it and their actions, compare it to his, he was no better than some and considerably better than most, but not MoH material. He was a Great leader, without a doubt, but you do not get a MoH for that or there would be so many handed out that it would have lost it's value long ago. Is getting one a political game? Probably, and in the end, he won the bigger political game, he won the presidency, but he won an even bigger political game. He won the biggest political prize you can, people remember his name with fondness and pride, unlike those who were making decisions about his MoH at the time when he was trying so hard to get it who only historians remember, and even then just barely and not always nicely.
Since his name was brought up, Douglas McArthur did far less to be awarded the MOH than Roosevelt did. IMO, riding a horse up a hill, under fire is about as heroic a deed as I can think of especially when you are the one in front.
Medal of Honor or not, Teddy Roosevelt had the biggest clanking cojones of any president. Who'd be second? Andrew Jackson?
Chasing Geronimo would have been equal to following any special forces/ gorilla tactical unit, it would have been almost impossible. The understanding of the land and everything involved with logistical support was against them.
As a huge fan of TR, who is not only one of my favorite presidents, but one of my favorite men in history, I have to disagree with the awarding of the Medal of Honor to him. I don't believe that he distinguished himself any more than some of the other men who did NOT receive the medal for their actions in that little war. I believe it was political, and being awarded so very many years later, I've always thought it cheapened that great medal a bit, and somewhat tarnished the splendid reputation of Mr. Roosevelt. Excellent video, Sir...
Yes I think TDR deserved the medal. And he , along with. Harvey Washington Wiley, deserves accolades and a holiday all his own for the FDA. .
I think it's fair to come down on either side. Based on the standards of the day, it appears that he did deserve it. Originally, the standards for the CMH were lower than they are now. In the Cicil War, soldiers were awarded it for saving the colors or grabbing th÷ US flag from a flag bearer when he was shot. By today's standards, he clearly does not deserve it, but one of my pet peeves is the judging of historical events by the standards of today!
I would think one President deserving of the Medal of Honor would be John F. Kennedy for his actions after PT 109 was cut in two
Any medal that has the name Congress in it is inherently going to be political. He earned that medal in the 1890’s. He should’ve been given the medal in the 1890’s.
Fair point. But the name of the decoration is actually the Medal of Honor, and Congressional Medal of Honor is a misnomer.
Maybe he deserved a medal and maybe he didn't, but Roosevelt demanding a MoH doesn't sit well with me. Medals do not prove a soldier's worth - for instance some soldiers are thrown into situations where they must fight like heroes merely to do their duty whilst in other situations a valiant soldier may never get the chance to prove their worth, so coveting a medal smacks of vanity and suggests, at best he was a politician first and a soldier 2nd. Battledress by Gun Buster explains this point well.
Politics in action. Slick Willie wanted the photo op. The original findings hold more merit. The award was full of bully......
I'm a huge, huge fan of Teddy. However, he should chalk up these stories to the 'fog of war'
But that would not be the ego of President Teddy Roosevelt
Excuse me but wasnt general norman cota also landed on d day? He was in the murderous omaha beach and had roosevelt jr not been there he would have beem the oldest man to hit the beach with the first wave
Fair point. My mistake. I’ll have to do an episode on General Cota.
As much as I admire TR, he was truly a remarkable man, I think the decision not to award him the Medal of Honor was the right one, given that the facts of the account were unclear. I would think that there were many others that day who deserved the honor far more than Mr. Roosevelt did, as brave as he obviously was.
The ideals of duty, responsibility and obligation are almost not taught at all today. It’s truly a different world.
And a sadder one because of that.
So true my fellow
Forcing people to go die in a meatgrinder for 3 generations probably had a hand in it. No one really wants to go die for some rich guy who doesn't give a shit about anything other than his own wealth and power.
Depends on one's family, now. And enlisting in the Army is a good beginning.
@@jamesvandemark2086 Not with what the army’s currently teaching the recruits. There’s a reason all branches of the military are well below recruitment goals.
He should have got something for the national parks also.
He got the Medal of Honor and the Nobel Peace Prize. I think he's got enough. :)
He did. A bust on mount Rushmore.
lol.
TR's horse was "Little Texas ". Both he and Winston Churchill sought battlefield distinction based on the same Victorian values.
Having read extensively about the CMH and being a veteran myself; I have far more regard for the CIB.
Not gonna say he didnt deserve the Medal, but others, some who didnt come home, deserved it equally or more. As president, he could given them the recognition they deserved.
to me one of the great "what ifs" of history is what if he would have been elected president in 1912 how would have world war one have played out a lot different
i would guess
'
The Medal of Honor has almost always had some political element however, from what I have read those that got it earned it. I think that Teddy earned his.
I don't feel it appropriate for anyone to ask for or say they deserve the medal of honor.
No! My sister-in-law’s great grandfather was part of the rough riders. He said it was not a giant war, and most of the Spaniards were gone
Did John F. Kennedy deserve the metal of honor? Maybe, maybe not. More or less so than Theodore Roosevelt? I wish my mother were still around as she’d read a number of T.R. biographies.
"Medal"
How TR's bust was placed alongside that of Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson (Mount Rushmore) is anyone's political guess.
The choice was made by the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. His explanation was that Roosevelt represented the nation’s conservation and economic growth.
Thank you again great story but I say NO. To Mr. Roosevelts MOH.
It almost makes me want to tear down a statue and change street names; but I’m lazy and I really don’t care, because it really doesn’t matter.
I was awarded a Gold Star on my forehead for coming in first in the 3rd grade spelling bee!
Many medals are awarded to commanding officers when the men/women they commanded did all the fighting and dying.
In my opinion, any soldier that asks for one or demands one....does not deserve the Medal of Honor regardless of his "clout and stature" in society. All Medal of Honor recipients I'm aware of who were alive when the medal was presented all say the same thing...
"I do not deserve this medal but I will wear it and honor it in remembrance of my fellow soldiers who paid the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE for our country"
That is what the Medal of Honor means to me.
Good ole T.R. he w a man of great noise.. a lot of big stick and quiet walking..
President Roosevelt was a great man, but I think his ambition, sometimes, got the better of him