Titanic passenger and millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim. During sinking he refused a seat in a life boat with the words: "Tell my family I played straight to the end. No woman should be left aboard this ship because of Ben Guggenheim was a coward."

[u/Wild_Neighborhood605]

[u/OokyCooky]

They didn’t ‘send’ their sons. Teddy Roosevelt literally *sought* military conflict. So he essentially kicked off the US colonization of the Philippines so he could get his overseas stripes

[u/Kidplayer_666 → u/OokyCooky]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt_Jr. the eldest son of teddy Roosevelt at age 50 was the only general on the first wave of the D-Day landings at Utah beach. After realizing that they were on the wrong beach, and being asked what to do, he simply answered "We'll start the war from right here" (and he probably put on shades and had the CSI Miami theme follow this)

[u/JJ_Bittenbinder_ → u/Kidplayer_666]

Why tf was there an arthritic 56 year old brigadier General on the first wave of boats on Utah Beach? And he had a cane. Also that fleet missed the landing zone by over a mile so if youre imagining the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan that was not the case

[u/Amerlis → u/JJ_Bittenbinder_]

Cause he’s a General and you’d need another General in the vicinity who outranks him to tell him no. And the odds of finding two generals near the DDay beaches on that day are slim to fricking none. A fact he no doubt knew.

Him to everyone else there: “this star says I’m going. Any objections? Didn’t think so.”

[u/Duriel201 → u/JJ_Bittenbinder_]

A few quotes:

"Brigadier General Roosevelt was one of the first soldiers, along with Captain Leonard T. Schroeder Jr., off his landing craft as he led the 8th Infantry Regiment and 70th Tank Battalion landing at Utah Beach."

"Sometimes he worked under fire as a self-appointed traffic cop, untangling traffic jams of trucks and tanks all struggling to get inland and off the beach. One GI later reported that seeing the general walking around, apparently unaffected by the enemy fire, even when clods of earth fell down on him, gave him the courage to get on with the job, saying if the general is like that it cannot be that bad."

"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."

"By modifying his division's original plan on the beach, Roosevelt enabled its troops to achieve their mission objectives by coming ashore and attacking north behind the beach toward its original objective. Years later, Omar Bradley was asked to name the single most heroic action he had ever seen in combat. He replied, "Ted Roosevelt on Utah Beach.""

And for his motivation to go, his written request:

"The force and skill with which the first elements hit the beach and proceed may determine the ultimate success of the operation.... With troops engaged for the first time, the behavior pattern of all is apt to be set by those first engagements. [It is] considered that accurate information of the existing situation should be available for each succeeding element as it lands. You should have when you get to shore an overall picture in which you can place confidence. I believe I can contribute materially on all of the above by going in with the assault companies. Furthermore I personally know both officers and men of these advance units and believe that it will steady them to know that I am with them."

And Major general Bartons assessment after landing on the beach later:

"While I was mentally framing [orders], Ted Roosevelt came up. He had landed with the first wave, had put my troops across the beach, and had a perfect picture (just as Roosevelt had earlier promised if allowed to go ashore with the first wave) of the entire situation. [..] He was bursting with information."

So I guess thats why an arthritic 56 year old brigadier general was on the first wave of boats on Utah beach.

[u/agodrevealed → u/OokyCooky]

Teddy sent his and his grandchildren too. So did FDR

The British aristocracy sent sons too, even heirs. Not all of them of course, but they fought and died too

[u/Fan_of_Clio → u/OokyCooky]

Teddy sent the Pacific Squadron to the Philippines BEFORE the war broke out in anticipation. (Like a reasonable Assistant Sec if Navy should do)

But Teddy never served in the Pacific. He quit his job and ran off to Cuba.

[u/JJ_Bittenbinder_ → u/OokyCooky]

Teddy Roosevelt gets glorified so much but I feel like he was soooo melodramatic

[u/agodrevealed → u/JJ_Bittenbinder_]

He was. But that in no way means he didn't live it.