for gallantPf- at the Battle of Antietam, was commissioned a secondrnlientenant. Demonstrating exceptional leadership and valorrnin fight after fight, he was promoted to major, “If it be my lotrnto fcill,” wrote McKinley in his diary during the war, “I want tornfall at m’ post and have it said that I fell in defense of my conntr-,rnin honor of the glorions Stars and Stripes.” Nearly 40 yearsrnlater, he did fall at his post, mortally wounded by an assassin.rnWhen President McKinley died, Theodore Roosevelt tookrnhis place, hi no other man did the desire to join the aristocrac’rnof warriors burn more fiercely than in Teddy Roosevelt.rnB- birth, he had privilege and social standing, but that was notrnenough. His own father had remained a civilian during thernCiil War, and Roosevelt, though he idolized his father,rnthought the lack of service was a stain on the family escutcheon.rnWhen the Spanish-American War erupted, Roosevelt left hisrnpost as assistant secretarv’ of the Navy to organize a unit of volunteerrncavalrv’. Ever)one urged him to reconsider his decision,rnbut he would have none of it, saying it was “my chance to cutrnm- little notch on the stick that stands as a measuring rod inrne er family.” hie later wrote, “I want to go because I wouldn’trnfeel that I had been enfirely true to my beliefs and convichons,rnand to the ideal 1 had set for mvfself if 1 didn’t go” (italics mine).rnRoosevelt not onlv went, but took command of the 1st U.S.rnVolunteer Cavaln—the Rough Riders—and led the charge uprnKettle Hill during die Battie of San Juan Heights. lie was recommendedrnfor the Medal of Honor, and the award was endorsedrnup the line until the secretaiy of war, for personal andrnpolitical reasons, squashed it. After a strong lobbying effort, thernmedal was finalh’ awarded this year, making Teddy Rooseveltrnand Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the only father and son who bothrnreccicd the Medal of Honor. The son, a brigadier general,rnearned his with his death at Omaha Beach.rnWhen the United States was on the verge of entering WoddrnWar I, Roosevelt offered to raise a volunteer division and to havernit privately financed unHl Congress took acfion. Applications forrnthe “Roosevelt Division” poured in by die thousands, and thernthought of a former American president leading troops at thernfront electrified demoralized French leaders. “I think I could dornriiis countrv most good by dying in a reasonably honorable fashion,rnat the head of my division in the European War,” said Roosernelt. President Woodrow Wilson, however, worried that Rooseveltrnwould not die and woidd return once again as a hero.rnDespite pleas from both American and foreign dignitaries, Wilsonrndared not put Roosevelt in command of anything. Rooseveltrnfumed and waited stateside while his four sons and a daughterrnsened in Europe: Quentin, a pilot with one German victorv’ tornhis credit, died in a dogfight; Archie was badly wounded andrnawarded the Croix de Guerre; Kcrmit received the British MilitaryrnCross; and led, brave to a fardt, was both gassed and wounded.rnEthel served as a nurse with Ambulance Americane.rnShort, bespectacled Harry Truman, a sergeant in the MissourirnNational Guard, was commissioned a lieutenant when hisrnunit was called to dut in World War I. During the Meuse-Argonncrncampaign, he was promoted to captain and commandedrnan artillery battery in some of the hottest action of the war.rnWhen the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Truman was arncolonel in the Army reserves and a U.S. senator. Although 57rnears old, he rec|uested active dut’, but President Franklin Roose’rnelt wanted die Democrat to remain in the Senate. Also inrnthe Army during World War I but remaining stateside wasrnD\ iglit Eisenhower. In World War II, he rose to Supreme AlliedrnCommander. Wlicn prevailed upon by the Republicanrnpartv’ to run for the presidency, he accpiiesced and won by arnlandslide in 1952. Despite a lackluster performance in office,rnhe was reelected by an even greater majorit)- in 1956.rnJohn F. Kennedy’s heroism as skipper of PT J 09 (and later of PTrn59) in Wodd War II was one of the factors that gave him a narrowrnvictor)- over Richard Nixon in the 1960 election. The negativernwhispers about Kennedy did not concern his sexual escapades—rnthe general public was still ignorant of his philandering—but hisrnRoman Catholic faith. “The Pope will rule America, if Kennedyrnis elected,” intoned his detiactors in sotto voce utterances. In additionrnto other responses, supporters of Kennedy always emphasizedrnhis combat in the Pacific and that fateful night in the Solomonsrnwhen his boat was cut in half by a Japanese desfroyer. He was decoratedrnwith die Navy and Marine Corps medals and the PurplernHeart. This was a man who had fought and nearly died for thernflag. Ironically, Nixon also sen-ed in the Solomons, but in a rearrnarea. More than once, he volunteered for fronfline duty, but thernNavy denied his requests.rnAnother sailor in the Pacific was Gerald Eord, who servedrnaboard the U.S.S. Wlonterey, a light carrier fliat saw acfion in arndozen campaigns. Soaring overhead in a torpedo bomber was arnwinged sailor, George Bush. His attack on a Japanese radio station,rnalthough his plane had been hit and his engine was engulfedrnin flames, earned him a Distinguished Elying Gross.rnAnother sailor decorated for valor was Lyndon Johnson. A Navalrnreservist, he was the first member of the House to resign his seatrnand request active duty. He served only at a desk in rear areas untilrnPresident Roosevelt, wanting more information about combatrnin the Pacific, had Johnson assigned to an inspection team. Johnsonrnwas aboard a plane near Rabaul when the aircraft suddenlyrncame under fire and had to take evasive action. Somehow, fliernflight was represented as a daring mission and, although he wasrnsimply along for flie ride, Johnson was awarded a Silver Star.rnRonald Reagan also served during World War II. He hadrnjoined the reserves in 1937 only after a friendly doctor allowedrnhim to fudge an eye exam. Wlicn the war erupted, he volunteeredrnfor active duty and saw his pay drop from $3,000 perrnweek to $200 per month. After serving as an embarkation officerrnin San Erancisco, he requested a combat assignment butrnwas ordered to the Army Air Corps motion-picture unit at HalrnRoach studios. For meritorious performance, he was promotedrnto captain but refused a promotion to major, saying that he wasrnundesen-‘ing of the rank unless he could be sent overseas. Thernman he defeated in the 1980 election, Jinini)’ Carter, was a midshipmanrnat Annapolis during the war. He later served on submarinesrnand woidd have made the Navy a career were it not forrnhis father’s untimely death, which forced him to return homernand take charge of the family business.rnBill Clinton shattered fliis record of honorable service. Notrnonly did Clinton not spend a day in uniform, but—facing thernpossibilit}’ of conseripfion—he proclaimed that he loathed thernmilitar}.’. Nonetheless, the desire for a warrior as president persists.rnPart of flie debate over Al Gore and George W. Bush focusedrnon their service records, and the principal reason JohnrnMcCain surged dramatically early in the race for the Republicanrnnomination is likely the esteem his combat experience as arnnaval aviator in Vietnam and his subsequent captivity generated.rnTocqueville was wrong. Ear from being litfle esteemed inrnthe United States, martial valor is an entree into an aristocracyrnof warriors and often into the presidency itselfrnOCTOBER 2001/23rnrnrn