Dad,  Roosevelt, and a Brush with History

One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is Dad, President Roosevelt, and a brush with history… The many minor connections that we have with larger historical events always intrigue me. Dad had a few of those, including one in January 1943.  

For America, the ground war in Europe started November 1942, with the invasion of North Africa. Dad was a part of the 60th Regimental Combat Team (9th Inf Div), assigned to MG George Patton for the invasion. On November 8th, they took part in the amphibious assault on French Morocco and their mission was to take Port Lyautey, and the famed Kasbah. Three days later, after sometimes brutal fighting, they completed that mission. People don’t often hear about the invasion of North Africa, but it turns out that after Normandy, it was the largest amphibious assault ever made.   

Dad at the WWII Memorial several years ago

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After mopping up activities in Morocco, the 60th had some down time that December and January. To quote from the 9th Inf Division history book “Eight Stars to Victory” (published 1948):   

“The 60th CT was located within the beautiful Momora Cork Forest, guarding the Spanish Moroccan border, and sipping an occasional glass of vin rouge….” 

(As a side note, at long last, we know when and where Dad’s love of wine started…). 

About this time, preparation was being made in the 9th for a classified visit by a surprise visitor, an “Army Commander”. There was great secrecy, and details were kept quiet. It turned out that the “Army Commander” was none other than President Roosevelt, although the 9th didn’t know it yet. He had travelled to meet Churchill at the famed “Casablanca Conference” and chart the continuing course of the war. The conference took place from January 14-24, 1943, and remained a secret until after it was completed. This was the conference when Roosevelt announced “the Allies would accept nothing less than the unconditional surrender of the Axis Powers“.

On January 21st, dad and the other GIs in the 60th found out they would be in a parade for a dignitary the next day. Of course, there was quite a bit of grumbling and groaning about infringement on their time. Later that day, or early on the 22d, they found out the parade was going to be for President Roosevelt. Now, I’d heard about this parade from dad over the years, and I’d always assumed that it was a couple of Divisions (20,000-30,000 men), but in reading the 9th Infantry Division’s history, it turned out it was only a couple of battalions (500-1,000 men), including parts of the 60th combat team, and dad.  

President Roosevelt reviews the 60th Regimental Combat Team in January, 1943

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 With parades, people think of formality and quietness during the review, and the 9th’s history book presents it that way. In actuality, the soldiers were still unhappy about having their free time taken up, and the grumbling continued during the parade. I remember dad telling me that as Roosevelt passed, Boggs, one of his buddies, called out quietly to the other guys nearby, “Hey Rosie, while you’re over here, have you got Eleanor running things back home?“….and “Hey Rosie, When are we goin’ home?” It wasn’t loud enough for President Roosevelt to hear, but the CO did, and Boggs was ripped a new one after the parade. 

After the review, Roosevelt returned to Casablanca and two days later, the US. Within the week, the 60th would move to Oran and then in mid-February, they would rapidly travel 800 miles to the Tunisian front and relieve the 1st Infantry Division after the debacle at Kasserine Pass. In Tunisia, they would remain in combat with the Germans for the next several months, but that’s another story.

I remember learning about the importance of the Casablanca Conference in my history studies at West Point. It set the course for the remainder of the war, including the invasions of Sicily and Italy, and further cemented the solidity of the Anglo-American alliance. At the time, I didn’t realize dad was there. Just another small connection to world changing events….