THEODORE ROOSEVELT (1858-1919)
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most successful presidents in American
history. He was fun to hang around with. He had a screeching voice that
sometimes scared people who did not expect it coming from a man like himself. He
told jokes and played with children. He loved children. He told ghost stories
that would scare the little children to death. However, he had another side to
him. When it was not time for fun and games anymore, he meant it and he did his
job well. He took great pride in the United States. He wanted the best for his
country and therefore he served his country to the very best of his
ability.
Roosevelt had a poor health when he was young. His asthma was
especially bad. Whenever his asthma acted up on him, his caring father would
take young Roosevelt out on the wagon and ride around until he got better. This
is where Roosevelt gained his love for nature. He enjoyed being outside. He
loved the tranquility of the forest, the animals, the water and such. A
particular favorite of his was the bird. He loved the birds. He soon got into
studying taxonomy and excelled in it. Roosevelt overcame his poor with many
activities as he grew older. He did wrestling, riding, hunting, and swimming.
Boxing was one of his favorites sports. He even managed to permanently injure
one of his eyes during a boxing match.
Roosevelt liked to take
initiative. Therefore when he became impatient about not being able to get into
any military action he resigned his Navy post in May 1898 to serve as lieutenant
colonel under Wood. Roosevelt gathered himself a handful of volunteers and
created what we as the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders became famous after
Roosevelt ordered them to charge Sanuan Hill. They did so successfully and
Roosevelt came back from battle a legend and thus beginning