photo #8701955

President Theodore Roosevelt (center) and his four sons (L to R): Kermit, Quentin, Teddy Jr. and Archie. Only Archie would survive two world wars. All 4 sons served in World War I. Kermit led an artillery battalion at Meuse-Argonne. Archie served as a captain in the U.S. 1st Infantry Division but a shattered left arm left him 100% disabled. Teddy, Jr. became one of the only reserve officers to command a full regiment in World War I, his beloved 26th. Quentin was killed when his plane was shot down behind enemy lines. The Germans who found his remains were so impressed that a former president's son was serving in the front lines that they buried him where he fell with full military honors. The president himself died 6 months later; some say he never quite recovered from the death of his youngest son. Fast forward 25 years and all three surviving Roosevelt brothers - now in their late 40s or early 50s - volunteered for World War II. Why? Some say they were trying to live up to their father's legacy. But he had died in 1919. Some say they had political ambitions. But by then, those ambitions had been far eclipsed by their distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. So why? No one quite knows for sure but several factors seem important. One, they believed strongly in the cause they were fighting for. Two, it seems they never wanted to miss out on an adventure. And three, they seemed unwilling to let someone else to fight their fights. In World War II, Archie was injured and again deemed 100% disabled. Teddy, Jr. earned great distinction as the only general to land with the troops in the first wave on D-Day. He died 2 weeks later of a heart condition; age 56 years old. Kermit took his own life, at an army base in Alaska in 1943, perhaps beset by the same demons that claimed the life of the president’s younger brother, Elliott, a generation before. Quentin and Teddy, Jr. are today buried side by side at the Normandy American Cemetery. Photo source: Library of Congress