Ted Poe: “Growing up, I knew that my dad, when he was a teenager, fought in the ``Great World War II.'' Because my father never…”

“Growing up, I knew that my dad, when he was a teenager, fought in the ``Great World War II.'' Because my father never spoke much about it until recently, I was curious about what happened. My fascination with World War II began when I saw the movie ``The Longest Day'' as a kid. Young Americans--mainly boys, really--who had never been far from home were sent to a faraway land to free a people they had never met. They charged onto a beach through a hail of gunfire in order to stop the spreading threat of evil in Europe. This action-packed movie depicts the graphic details of the longest day on June 6, 1944, D-day. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., played by Henry Fonda in the movie, was the son of President Theodore Roosevelt. You remember President Roosevelt. He led the charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War. Teddy, Jr., fought in World War I as well with his brothers. His brother Quentin, a fighter pilot, was killed in action. General Roosevelt was crippled from the wounds of World War I and had a heart condition, but he was not finished fighting. At the age of 56, General Roosevelt was the highest ranking officer that landed on the shores of Normandy. He was determined to lead this new generation of warriors-- who became the Greatest Generation--as they took on the Nazis. His son Quentin Roosevelt II, named after Teddy Jr.'s late brother, the fighter pilot, was also on the beaches of Normandy that day.…”