[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10603-10604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  RECOGNIZING AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to a great 
man, a man of immense stature to the history of this Nation, a strong, 
moral family man and a visionary conservationist, a man who 
distinguished himself in peace and in war and who would at the age of 
43 become the first great American voice of the 20th century and our 
26th President, Theodore ``Teddy'' Roosevelt.
  My esteemed colleague the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lazio) 
initially brought this case to my attention in 1997. As chairman of the 
House Committee on Armed Services' Subcommittee on Military Personnel, 
I worked with the gentleman from New York and former Pennsylvania 
Representative Paul McHale, the Roosevelt family, representatives of 
the Theodore Roosevelt Association, authors and historians to correct a 
historical oversight. Our crusade has been to see that then Colonel 
Teddy Roosevelt be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for 
conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of San Juan Heights during the 
Spanish American War.
  On July 1st of 1898, Colonel Roosevelt led the First United States 
Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, the Rough Riders, into action alongside 
Army regulars at San Juan Heights outside Santiago, Cuba. During the 
battle, the Rough Riders encountered a regular Army unit that was 
reluctant to press the attack. Roosevelt boomed, ``Step aside and let 
my men through,'' then proceeded to lead his men through a hail of 
enemy gunfire during the assault up Kettle Hill, one of two hills 
comprising San Juan Heights. His leadership was so compelling that many 
of the regular Army officers and men fell in line with the Rough 
Riders.
  Mr. Speaker, Colonel Roosevelt's heroic performance on that day is 
well documented, but I believe it is enlightening to review some of the 
historical details:
  Number one. Roosevelt's actions demonstrated an utter disregard for 
his own safety and were consistent with the actions of those that were 
awarded the Medal of Honor during the Spanish American war. Of the 22 
officers and soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor that day, 21 
received it because they gave up cover and exposed themselves to enemy 
fire. Once the order to attack was received, Colonel Roosevelt mounted 
his horse and rode up and down the ranks in full view of enemy gunners. 
During the final assault on Kettle Hill, he remained on horseback, 
exposing him to the withering fire of the enemy. If voluntary exposure 
to enemy fire was the criteria for award of the Medal, then Colonel 
Roosevelt clearly exceeds the standard.
  By driving his Rough Riders through the ranks of a stalled regular 
Army unit to pursue the attack on Kettle Hill, Colonel Roosevelt 
changed the course of the battle. This is what a decoration for heroism 
is all about, the raw courage to make decisions and put your life in 
jeopardy to win the battle. His decisive leadership in pressing the 
attack saved American lives and brought the battle to a successful 
conclusion.
  The extraordinary nature of Colonel Roosevelt's bravery was confirmed 
by two Medal of Honor awardees who recommended him for the Medal of 
Honor on that day: Major General William Shafter and Colonel Leonard 
Wood, original commander of the Rough Riders and later military 
governor of Cuba. Both men were eminently qualified to judge whether 
Roosevelt's actions qualified him for the award. The Army thought so 
much of these two men that they named forts after them.
  Yet despite the preponderance of evidence and the endorsement by 
these two Medal of Honor awardees, the War Department never acted upon 
their recommendation. I believe there is credible evidence that 
politics, not an honest assessment of Colonel Roosevelt's valor, was 
the prime reason the recommendation for the Medal of Honor was never 
approved. The McKinley administration's fear of a yellow fever epidemic 
prompted them to delay the troop's return from the war, a decision that 
Roosevelt publicly criticized. Seeking to quickly defuse the issue, the 
McKinley administration reversed course and brought the troops home. 
The then Secretary of War, Russell Alger, resented the public 
embarrassment that he received as a result of the criticism from the 
hero of San Juan Heights, Teddy Roosevelt. Lacking records to 
substantiate why the decoration was disapproved at the time, I believe 
that Secretary Alger had the opportunity and motivation to deny Teddy 
Roosevelt the Medal of Honor by simply just not acting on it.
  Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor is this Nation's highest military 
award for bravery in combat. Since 1863, more than 3,400 extraordinary 
Americans have been awarded the Medal of Honor by the President in the 
name of the Congress. President Theodore Roosevelt's name would be an 
honorable and noteworthy addition to this most hallowed of lists. His 
raw courage and the fearless, bold decisiveness that he demonstrated 
while leading his Rough Riders up Kettle Hill on horseback altered the 
course of the battle, saved American lives and epitomized the selfless 
service of all Medal of Honor awardees.
  On February 22, Secretary of Defense William Cohen forwarded a 
memorandum to President Clinton recommending that Theodore Roosevelt be 
posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. I join the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Lazio) and former Representative Paul McHale in commending 
the Department of Defense for following the lead of Congress by 
choosing to acknowledge President Roosevelt's heroic leadership and 
courage under fire during the Spanish

[[Page 10604]]

American War. He will join 109 other soldiers, sailors and Marines who 
were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during that conflict.
  However, it troubles me that for some inexplicable reason that 
President Clinton has delayed acting upon Secretary Cohen's 
recommendation. I urge President Clinton to announce the award now.

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