Teddy led his regiment in an attack on Oran, Africa on November 8, 1942. During 1943, he was the second in command of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division that fought in the North African Campaign. He was cited for the Croix de Guerre by the military commander of French Africa, General Alphonse Juin:
As commander of a Franco-American detachment on the Ousseltia plain in the region of Pichon, in the face of a very aggressive enemy, he showed the finest qualities of decision and determination in the defense of his sector.
Showing complete contempt for personal danger, he never ceased during the period of Jan 28 – Feb 21, visiting troops in the front lines, making vital decisions on the spot, winning the esteem and admiration of the units under his command and developing throughout his detachment the finest fraternity of arms.
He saw action in Sicily, commanded Allied Forces in Sardinia, and fought on the Italian mainland. He was the chief liaison officer to the French Army in Italy for General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In February 1944, he was assigned to England to help lead the Normandy invasion.
After repeatedly petitioning and lobbying, he was granted permission to land with one of the first waves of troops at Utah Beach. On D-day, he led the U.S. 4th Infantry Division's landing at Utah Beach.
The landing could have been a disaster. Although it was on time, it was 2000 yards off course. Teddy, as the senior officer on the scene, improvised a new plan. Based upon his own reconnaissance of enemy strongholds on the beach, he contacted the commanding officers on the scene and modified their orders. Thus, he was able to obtain the mission objective. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for this service on 28 September 1944.[3]
Throughout World War II, he suffered from health problems. He had arthritis, mostly from old World War I injuries, and walked with a cane. He also had heart trouble. One month after the landing at Utah Beach, he died of a heart attack in France. He is buried at the American cemetery in Normandy next to his brother, Lt. Quentin Roosevelt. Quentin was shot down and killed in France during World War I and had been buried at Chamery until his exhumation and move to the Normandy Cemetery.
Roosevelt was portrayed by Henry Fonda in The Longest Day.
During World War I, Teddy was a Major, serving in the 26th Infantry Regiment of the Big Red One. He frequently led patrols across No Man's Land to raid German trenches.
I really don't consider the son of an elected leader to be of the same stature as the Queen's grandson. So it's not really the same is it? That being said there was a time in history that the leader of the forces went to war with his forces. Good on Harry for going. I do wonder however if he's going to be deployed where the Blues and Royals are supposed to be going in Iraq, which is on the Iran-Iraq border