Franklin D. Roosevelt Quotes
If you hold your fire until you see the whites of his eyes, you will never know what hit you.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. "Fireside Chat 18: On the Greer Incident." 11 Sept. 1941. The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt, vol. 10, Harper & Brothers, 1950, p. 390.
The Americans were at the bottom of the hill and the Spanish were dug in at the top. They were able to pick the Americans off one by one. Roosevelt was planning on a frontal charge of his Rough Riders and Buffalo Soldiers he was commanding but his fellow officer’s men were in front of them. The officers had no orders to charge the top of the hill and the other officer would not order his men to charge. Led by Roosevelt, his men went through the other troops and charged the hill taking it in the famous Charge Up San Juan Hill (actually Kettle Hill).
He was a strong believer in surprise attack and preemption.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office.
