The Quentin Factor

By far the favorite of all of President Roosevelt's children, Quentin was also the most rambunctious. Nicknamed "Quentyquee" and "Quinikins" by his father, Quentin shared T.R.'s physical, intellectual, and linguistic characteristics. Quentin's behaviour prompted his mother, Edith, to label him a "fine bad little boy". Amongst Quentin's many adventures with the "White House Gang" (a name assigned by T.R. to Quentin and his friends), Quentin carved a baseball diamond on the White House lawn without permission, defaced official presidential portaits in the White House with spitballs, and threw snowballs from the White House's roof at unsuspecting Secret Service guards.

Quentin attended Washington's Force Public School, Groton, and Harvard. In 1916, Quentin left Harvard to train as an aviator at the Long Island airfield later renamed in his honor. It was from this same field that Charles Lindbergh started his historic flight across the Atlantic! Quentin continued his training overseas and was eventually assigned to the 95th Air Squadron. During an early patrol on July 14, 1918, Quentin's squad encountered seven Fokkers who proved too much of an adversary for Quentin's squadron's slow Boche aircrafts. Quentin was shot through the head twice, crashing near Chemery, France.

German military propagandists tastelessly peddled pictures of Quentin's disfigured body around the world, pictures which eventually reached his family in Sagamore Hill.

Quentin was buried in Chemery, and was re-interred after World War II next to his brother Ted, Jr., who died after leading his squad onto Utah Beach during the D-Day Invasion.

 

Yeah that was some story about the Roosevelts putting it all out on the line.

I would not give my child up. No loving and sane father would, as I would think. I would, however, lay down my life to protect my kids from the horrors that emit from the middle east. Now, when they are adults I would respect their decision to enlist, and pray for the best, if that is their choice. I remember my mother going crazy when I was a young adult and I didn't understand why she was so concern over my life. Now that I have kids, I know why.

Postscript. Roosevelt Field is now a shopping mall. How quick we forget our heros.

 

Can't say yes, can't say no. As an adult, it is my son's choice to enlist in the military and go to war if he believes it is the right thing to do. It is his right as an adult and I cannot stop him. I would be a nervous wreck until his return but I would be a very proud father and give him my total support in his decision.

 

I believe that your question is worded improperly, just like so many other polls.

Practically no one would sign up for anything just to be killed before blotting the ink on a signature. That is what your question implies. It is the uncertainty of service, the calculated risk, that makes the difference. Such is true in everything useful that humans do.

There are about 2,000,000 Americans currently in the armed services. Even at war, the United States is only losing about 1,000 per year, or one chance in 2,000. Certainly, the odds of being killed or maimed increase if you join the Marines or some branch of the Special Forces. Apparently, millions of American volunteers accept those risks. Most parents are quite proud of their soldiers. Most parents must also assume that their children will not be killed. Everyone is devestated by the death of a loved one.

Life is uncertain. Death is certain, it's just the timing that is in question.

Speaking of odds, about 16,000 Americans are murdered state-side every year in the United States. These are not volunteers, and most of their deaths serve no useful purpose. How many Americans are killed in traffic accidents each year, 30,000? I don't know, but I am certain that their deaths also serve no purpose. Overdoses, accidents, Darwinian stupidity?

My daughter-in-law and grand-daughter are both in the regular Army. My grand-daughter Valerie is still in Iraq. My son almost went to Iraq in 1991. Each of them benefited from military service. I just hope my grand-daughter, the door gunner, gets back in one piece. I am absolutely certain that she will be a better person when she does get back. The best people that I know are shooting-war veterans

 

"The people are urged to be patriotic ... by sacrificing their own children. Patriotism requires allegience to the flag, which means obedience and readiness to kill father, mother, brother, sister." ~ Emma Goldman

 

Is that from the Dada art movement

 

Did a little research on our Quentin Roosevelt and his demise in France.
Yes Quentin did go to Harvard, but was ask to remove himself after it was discovered that he was rebuilding a motorcycle in his dorm room. So he joined the new branch of the Army, the Army Air Force. Quentin did not fly a “Bosh” airoplane. The term “Bosh” was intended to be used for the Germans. He piloted a Nieuport 28C-1 which was superior to what the “Bosh” were flying, except when in a dive. The day he was killed, he had made the comment that he needed to make a “kill” before the war ended. The war was about to close and only photographic and observation aircraft was thought to be in the immediate area his squadron was about to enter. Lieutenant Roosevelt was simply out flown by a superion pilot on that day, and was killed in a dog fight that he had started. I believe what we have here was a spoiled young man, who was used to having his own way. This last time he went too far. Simple as that. Was he a hero? You decide.

 

My son just turned 18 and enlisted in the Marine Corp. Do I want him to go get killed in the middle east ? No. Stats show he could be killed by a drunk driver two blocks from home easier than being killed in Iraq. Do I support his decision ? YES. I am very proud of him. His mother is a basket case, as I am sure every mother of a soldier is.
The people murdered on 9/11 did not get that choice.

 

Every time someone I know talks about going into the military I remind them that they could end up being shot at, if they still want to go they have my blessing. As for my girls, no way.

 

Parents who care about their children can become "basket cases" just having their kids go out on dates these days. I think modern STDs are as dangerous as going to Iraq (Hep-B, Hep-C, HIV, HPV, herpes, various nasty bacteria, etc). Not even to mention alcohol, drugs, street violence, and traffic accidents.

 

Is this the Emma Goldman that you are quoting?

"In the early days Goldman supported the idea of propaganda by deed. In 1892, together with Alexander Berkman she planned the assassination of Henry Clay Finch, who has suppressed strikes in the Homestead Pennsylvania factory with armed guards. She even tried unsuccessfully to work as a prostitute to raise money for the gun. They believed that by killing a tyrant, a representative of a cruel system, the consciousness of the people would be aroused. This didn't happen."

 

Is it any surprise that he is quoting good old Emma Goldman, the anarcho-communist?
The one who was involved in the assissination of President McKinley, and was deported back to Russia in 1917, just in time to see the Red Army kill off half of the population in Russia. It did seem to satisfy her thurst for blood. She died in Canada, aroud 1940 and later brought to the USA and burried somewhere in or around Chicago. Back in her old stomping grounds and admirers.
Believed to be the same person as Orwell wrote about in his book 1984 and called Emmanual Goldstein.

 

Well that's just great support and advice.

Instead of extending your hand to congratulate them and supporting their decision to fight and defend our country, you go on and make an F&#%'ed up comment like that. So what do you do on Veteran's Day? Do you remind them that they were lucky NOT to get killed the past year??

Hey Danr...you could get killed driving in your car the next time you set foot in it...or an artery could explode carrying all of that oxygen to your freakin' head! Good luck...

Unbelievable...freakin' unbelievable. Next time you wish a soldier well, just SHUT UP!!

 

Dude you are way out of line. I have good friends who have been messed up in war.

 

Dan, good researching, I did a bit myself last night and come to the same conclusions. It's amazing that he could be constantly flaunting air corps rules. I certainly can't imagine it, anything post WWI.

Well you can blame heredity, like father like son.

 

Well he's become a shopping mall name now and no one brothers to care why the mall is called Roosevelt.

Danh, did you know if it wasn't for the war on terror that you could be shot or blown up just walking down the street. Those soldiers are keeping the vast majority of bombers and shooters in the middle east.

By the way it was an arab who shot and killed Bobby Kennedy.
It was arabs who blew up the Trade Center the first time.
It was arabs who blew up the Trade Center buildings for good the second time.
It was arabs who crashed a plane full of people into the pentagon.


It was arabs who were stopped trying to blow up the Space Needle. (Pre-911)
It was arabs who were stopped trying to blow up LAX. (Pre-911)
It was the arabs who were stopped trying to blow up a subway station in New York City during the republician convention near the convention site.
It was arabs who were plotting and had made the poison gas to be released into the New York Subway system. (Pre-911).
It was an arab who shot up people screaming Allah is god at the Empire State Building. (pre-911).
It was the Sudanese UN core that was planning and stopped on blowing up the Brooklyn Bridge, The George Washington Bridge, The Holland Tunnel and the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour traffic. (pre-911).
It was arabs who shot up a school bus of students on the Brooklyn Bridge. (pre-911).
It was arabs who shot and killed Kahnae at a speech in New York. (Pre-911)

I could go on and on about the muslim arabs terrorist actions in the USA but the bottom line is we should all shake a soldiers' hand.

 

Well duuuuuuuuuude...they have more guts than you would ever have.

 

I never said they don't, they also have more regrets

 

But it will never happen to you will it Chicken Little?

 

Danr, Don't let them make you angry. All they have ever done in this forum is beat war drums from the comfort of a safe keyboard and judge others to be less "American" than they are. And when all else fails, they just loe=wer themselves further and call you names. They probably had some soft military post decades ago and are still living their lives through something that happened a long time ago. How sad for them.