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TR'S MEDAL OF HONOR RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE
The last chapter in the long story of Theodore Roosevelt's Medal of Honor was concluded on Monday, September 16, 2002, when Tweed Roosevelt, great grandson of TR, presented the Medal of Honor to President George W. Bush in the Roosevelt Room of the White House to become a permanent part of the White House historical collection.
The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Theodore Roosevelt by President William J. Clinton in the Roosevelt Room of the West Wing at the White House on January 16, 2001. Since that time TR's Medal of Honor has toured the nation and been on public display at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, NY, TR Birthplace in New York City, the D-Day Museum in New Orleans, at the TR Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, NY, and in Tampa, Florida, Boston, Portland, Oregon, Bismarck, North Dakota, and elsewhere. The Medal was presented to President Bush by Tweed Roosevelt on behalf of the Roosevelt family. Forty members of the Roosevelt family and officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association attended the September 16 ceremony.
In his remarks , Tweed Roosevelt called attention to Theodore Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize Medal, which has sat in a special case on the mantel of the Roosevelt Room since 1982, when it was donated to the White House by the Theodore Roosevelt Association; and noted that TR's Medal of Honor and Nobel Peace Prize Medal complement one another. "This room is often used by every President to host private meetings with various foreign dignitaries, not all of whom are cooperative. When faced with an obstinate foreign leader, perhaps it might be useful for the President to point to the mantel place and say that these medals represent the highest aspirations of the United States-- peace with honor; two medals, two sides of the same concept, " Tweed Roosevelt said.
TR was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the battle for San Juan Heights in Cuba, July 1, 1898, during the Spanish-American War. He was recommended for the medal by the entire chain of command in 1898, but was denied the award by the War Department. Many historians believe that TR was denied the medal in 1898 for political reasons, since the Colonel of the Rough Riders had made enemies for criticizing the War Department. One hundred years later a bill to award the Medal of Honor to TR was introduced in Congress and passed both houses by unanimous vote. The Theodore Roosevelt Association played an active and important role in the fight for the medal at each stage of the process in the years 1997-2001. Tweed Roosevelt led the efforts by the TRA and the Roosevelt family to win the medal, and received the medal on behalf of the family from President Clinton in 2001. Members of three generations of the Roosevelt family were present in the Roosevelt Room on September 16, 2002. Also present were Norman Parsons, President of the TRA; TRA Executive Director John A. Gable; TRA Vice President Steve Abbot, who serves in the new Homeland Security Department; Brian Madden, TRA Treasurer; Barbara B. Brandt, TRA Secretary; and other TRA officers and members, including Karl Rove, an active TRA member and Senior Advisor to the President.
In his remarks in accepting the medal, President Bush paid tribute to TR's bravery in the battle, and also praised the Theodore Roosevelt Association for its continuing efforts to preserve the memory and ideals of the 26th President.
The Roosevelt Room is located in the West Wing, which was added to the White House in 1902 as part of Theodore Roosevelt's remodeling of the executive mansion . The Roosevelt Room is named for both TR and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later in the year, on November 12-13, a symposium, "The West Wing: Workshop of Democracy," will be held by the White House Historical Association to mark the centennial of the West Wing.
Click on photos of the ceremony by clicking White House Photos in the left-hand column.
"TR, AN AMERICAN LION" TO BE SEEN ON HISTORY CHANNEL IN 2003
"TR, An American Lion," a new four-hour documentary special, will be seen on the History Channel on TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, and WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2003.
The film features commentary by such noted historians as Edmund Morris, H. L. Brands,
James MacGregor Burns, John Milton Cooper, Susan Dunn, Douglas Brinkley, and Sylvia Jukes Morris as well as recently discovered film footage of TR not previously seen by the public. Actor Richard Dreyfus does the voice of TR in the documentary, which is directed by David DeVries and produced by Greystone. In some reenacted scenes, the part of TR is played by Jonathan Roosevelt, Jr., a great great grandson of the President; and members of the family who offer comments in the documentary include Edith Derby Williams, Nancy Roosevelt Jackson, Tweed Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt, IV. John A. Gable, Executive Director of Theodore Roosevelt Association, is the historical consultant on the film and also appears as one of the commentators.
BUFFALO TR CONFERENCE
Have you signed up yet for "the Big Stick and the Square Deal: The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, " the major conference which will be held in Buffalo, New York October 17- 20, 2002 ? There is still time. For further information, please go to the our web site by clicking on the TRA Website in the left-hand column.
or phone the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site at (716) 884-0095.
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