(Written in his own hand and finished only weeks before hi...)
Written in his own hand and finished only weeks before his death, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's memoir spans more than half a century of modern history. His vantage point at center stage during major controversies of the twentieth century enabled him to present unique views of the conflicts in which he played a vital role. No soldier in modern time has been more admired--or reviled. Liberator of the Philippines, shogun of Occupied Japan, victor of the Battle of Inchon, the general was a national hero when suddenly relieved of his command by President Truman. His supporters believe his genius for command and ability to implement that command by strategy stand as landmarks in military history. His critics are not so kind, calling him a gigantic ego paying homage to himself in this book. Decade by decade, battlefield by battlefield, this self portrait is a moving final testament to a life of service that began at West Point and continued in Vera Cruz during the Mexican uprisings and throughout the world wars. Appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Pacific, MacArthur was the architect of the campaign to drive the Japanese from their strongholds at Bataan, Corregidor, and New Guinea. His recounting of World War II is dramatically punctuated with intimate portraits of key personalities and insights into his stand on controversial issues. Although the autobiography was written more than thirty years ago, it continues to be a valuable document of the period.
Douglas MacArthur was an American full-ranked General, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, the Field Marshal of the Philippines Army and the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific during the World War II. He is considered to be one of the best generals in the American history. He one a Medal of Honor for liberating the Philippines, and he successfully defended South Korea during the Korean War.
Background
MacArthur was born into a modest family whose members had been serving in the American army for generations. His father, Arthur MacArthur Jr, was ranked as Captain in the U.S. army, and he also received Medal of Honor. His mother, Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur, was a part of a prominent family in Norfolk, Virginia. MacArthur had two older brothers, one of which died of measles at an early age.
Education
Being a “military brat” (a term often used for kids whose parents are in the army), MacArthur spent his early years on outposts across the western frontier as this was where his father was stationed. He later stated that he learned to shoot and ride before he was even able to write or read.
He enrolled at the West Point Military Academy in 1899 and soon proved to be one of the best students. He graduated at the top of his class in 1903 and set his sights on a professional military career. It was a custom at the time for the best cadets to be commissioned into the Army Corps of Engineers, so MacArthur became a second lieutenant of that corps
Career
In the years prior to the World War I, MacArthur spent some time in the Philippines, where his father previously served as the military governor of that country, as well as in the Far East. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1911, serving at the Leavenworth’s Staff College as the Officer-in-Charge. When MacArthur’s father passed away in 1912, he moved on to the War Department in Washington, DC. In 1915, he was appointed as the first ever officer to be in charge of public relations. The same year, he was promoted to the rank of Major.
When in 1917 the United States entered the World War I, MacArthur was placed at the position of the Chief of Staff of the 42nd division, known also as the Rainbow Division. The following year, he became the youngest ever Brigadier General. His magnificent war record was a great recommendation for becoming the Superintendent of West Point in 1919. During the time spent on this post, he tried to modernize the school and return its reputation. Some of the reforms were considered too radical and were discarded but MacArthur’s ideas were later accepted and implemented again.
After getting married in 1922, he went to the Philippines again where he spent the next three years. When he returned to the U.S. he was the youngest two-star general in the American army. President Herbert Hoover appointed MacArthur as a Chief of Staff of the United States Army in 1930, giving him the rank of a full general.
In 1932, veterans from the World War I were protesting in Washington, DC, asking for their war bonuses to be paid. This so-called Bonus Army was already on the government property for weeks when MacArthur approved sending cavalry and infantry to forcefully evacuate them. No shots were fired but when the camps of veterans were destroyed by fire, many veterans and members of their families suffered injuries, and two babies died. This was a complete disaster and a great hit to the reputation of both the U.S. Army and MacArthur.
MacArthur was allowed to finish his term as Chief of Staff and was then sent to the Philippines, where he was placed as Chief Military Advisor to the government in 1935. The Philippines were a commonwealth of the United States that was preparing for independence. In 1937, he was recalled to the United States but he believed that his mission wasn’t finished. He decided to resign from the U.S. Army and remain in the Philippines. President Manuel Quezon appointed him as a civilian advisor and the Field Marshal of the island.
When the World War II broke out in 1941, MacArthur’s services were needed again by the United States, so he was activated and places as the Commander of the U.S. Forces in the Far East, where Japan was an increasing threat. The Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbour and destroyed MacArthur’s air force in December 1941, and soon the Philippines were also invaded. President Franklin Roosevelt ordered him to leave the island, which he did in March 1942. MacArthur stationed himself in Australia and soon became the Commander of Allied Forces located in the Southwest Pacific. He promised to return and liberate the Philippines, which he finally did in 1945. The U.S. Forces liberated Manila in February, and MacArthur received the Medal of Honor for this achievement. In September 1945, the Japanese Emperor announced that Japan will surrender after he was frightened that the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It was MacArthur who was formally delivered and accepted the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.
After the war, MacArthur was in charge to oversee the demobilization of Japan and its reconstruction. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, MacArthur was in charge of the Allied forces that were supposed to help South Korea defend from the attack of the Communist from the North Korea. The troops managed to force the North Koreans back to the Chinese border but MacArthur wanted to launch a counter-offensive. He tried to persuade President Truman to permit him to launch the invasion but Truman refused because the People’s Republic of China would treat the invasion as a hostile act and wouldn’t hesitate to intervene. When the Chinese positioned themselves against the U.S. lines in North Korea, MacArthur wanted to start a war with China.
However, Truman rejected his request for bombing the Chinese and soon fired MacArthur for insubordination. MacArthur did enjoy his fair share of glory when he returned to the United States in 1951, and he tried to use this to attack the President’s Korean policy. Although the public was on his side at first, they later realized that MacArthur’s actions would have led to a massive war and were better to be avoided. He tried to run for US presidency in 1952 but the Republicans chose Dwight Eisenhower, who later won the general election. MacArthur received the Sylvanus Thayer Award in 1962.
He died in 1964 in Washington DC and was buried in Norfolk, Virginia.
(Written in his own hand and finished only weeks before hi...)
Religion
MacArthur was a fairly devoted Catholic. It is possible that he believed that Christianity should be imposed on people of different faith.
Politics
MacArthur tried to run for presidency but was beaten by Dwight Eisenhower, who later won the general election. He was also known to dislike Communism and Communist countries.
Views
MacArthur was a brilliant military leader and tactician. He devised a great tactic for the Korean War that led to a successful defending of South Korea. In most cases, he made right decisions from the point of view of a U.S. soldier or the U.S. Army. Many people consider him one of the best generals ever to serve in the U.S. forces. However, he had troubles with insubordination a couple of times, and his disagreement with President Truman during the Korean War even led to MacArthur getting fired.
Unusual for a soldier, MacArthur had great interest for history and was a great spokesman. He even tried to become an active politician, but his run for the presidency was unsuccessful. Despite that, his speeches were deep and he is remembered as a general who was very vocal about different policies of his country, unusual for a man in service.
After the United States defeated Japan, MacArthur was placed to oversee the demobilization and reconstruction of this Asian country. He helped them promulgate the constitution that implemented democracy. Although the religion was a thing of free choice, MacArthur once stated that he believed the Christianity would help the Japanese, which can be interpreted that he was of the opinion that only his religion is the right religion for everybody.
MacArthur had a growing dislike for communism. When he sent cavalry to forcefully evacuate the Bonus Army, he stated that their leader was a Communist. He also wanted to use the Korean War to start a war with China and try to exterminate Communism from Asia. This leads to concluding that MacArthur believed that the U.S. should have the control over what is happening in other countries, even if that control is to be gained through wars that would bring massive casualties to all sides.
On the other hand, he had a soft spot in his heart for the Philippines. Maybe because of the fact that his father also served here, or that he spent his fair share of years on the island but MacArthur loved the place. When he had to flee after the Japanese invaded it in 1942, he promised that he would be back to liberate the Philippines, which is exactly what he did in 1945.
Quotations:
"The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle: the roar of the crowd on the one side, and the voice of your conscience on the other."
"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it."
"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation"
"I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within"
Membership
MacArthur served both in the U.S. Army and the Philippines Army during his military career. His highest rank was the full General and the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and the Field Marshall of the Philippines Army.
U.S. Army
,
United States
The Philippines Army
,
Philippines
Personality
MacArthur was an intelligent and eloquent man, proud and patriotic. He demanded discipline from all of his soldiers and believed that an officer should never give an order that can’t be obeyed.
Physical Characteristics:
You could see his pride in his physical appearance. His trademark was, however, a corncob pipe, which a company from Missouri made by his exact specifications.
Quotes from others about the person
"I fired him because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President. I didn't fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail" - President Harry truman
Interests
Horseriding, History
Politicians
Herbert Hoover
Artists
Dayton Lummis. Sr.
Sport & Clubs
Baseball, Football
Connections
MacArthur first married Louise Cromwell Brooks, who was a socialite and one of the most attractive women in Washington. This marriage began in 1922 and ended in 1929. MacArthur went on to marry Jean Faircloth, with who he had a son he called Arthur MacArthur IV
Father:
Arthur MacArthur Jr
Acquaintance:
Herbert Hoover
References
Douglas MacArthur biography
Douglas MacArthur was an American general best known for his command of Allied forces in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
A Brief Biography of Douglas MacArthur
General Douglas MacArthur was one of the great military strategists in World War II, and responsible for governing and rebuilding Japan during the Allied occupation.
Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior
A new, definitive life of an American icon, the visionary general who led American forces through three wars and foresaw his nation’s great geopolitical shift toward the Pacific Rim—from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author of Gandhi & Churchill.
2016
Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life and Legend of Douglas MacArthur
In the first cradle-to-grave biography of MacArthur in nearly 20 years, Perret reveals new information and offers fresh insights into this landmark figure of American history. From his obsessive interest in becoming the most highly decorated soldier in American history to his disastrous flirtation with presidential politics, MacArthur is revealed, warts and all. of photos.
The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War
From master storyteller and historian H. W. Brands comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America's future in the aftermath of World War II. At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world.
2016
Douglas MacArthur: What Greater Honor (Heroes of History)
Under siege on the island of Corregidor, General Douglas MacArthur received a warning from the enemy. "You are well aware that you are doomed," the Japenese general wrote. "The end is near. The question is how long you will be able to resist. You are advised to surrender." Of course, there was no way Douglas was going to surrender.