Douglas MacArthur

On the Western Front during World War I, he rose to the rank of brigadier general, was again nominated for a Medal of Honor, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice and the Silver Star seven times.

As the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and effective ruler of Japan, he oversaw the war crimes tribunals and the demilitarization and democratization of the country under its new constitution, introducing women's rights, labor unions, land reform, and civil liberties.

[13] MacArthur's father and grandfather unsuccessfully sought to secure Douglas a presidential appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, first from Grover Cleveland and then from William McKinley;[14] both were rejected.

[18] Hazing was widespread at West Point at this time, and MacArthur and his classmate Ulysses S. Grant III were singled out for special attention by Southern cadets as sons of generals with mothers living at Craney's.

Competent, efficient, innovative, highly intelligent, and tirelessly energetic, as division chief of staff MacArthur appeared everywhere, at all hours – badgering, cajoling, inspiring, intervening, and attending to every detail, large and small.

[126] However, the defeat of the "Bonus Army", while unpopular with the American people at large, did make MacArthur into the hero of the more right-wing elements in the Republican Party who believed that the general had saved America from a communist revolution in 1932.

[160] The initial American plan for the defense of the Philippines called for the main body of the troops to retreat to the Bataan peninsula in Manila Bay to hold out against the Japanese until a relief force could arrive.

[176] Manila was declared an open city at midnight on 24 December, without any consultation with Admiral Thomas C. Hart, commanding the Asiatic Fleet, forcing the Navy to destroy considerable amounts of valuable materiel.

Although the surface fleet was obsolete and was safely evacuated to try to defend the Dutch East Indies, more than two dozen modern submarines were assigned to Manila – Hart's strongest fighting force.

The submariners were ordered to abandon the Philippines by the end of December after ineffective attacks on the Japanese fleet, only returning to Corregidor to evacuate high-ranking politicians or officers for the rest of the campaign.

Filipino sergeant Domingo Adversario was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for getting his hand wounded by the bomb and covering MacArthur's head with his own helmet, which was also hit by shrapnel.

[203] MacArthur's citation, written by Marshall,[204] read:For conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula.

[208] Initially located in Melbourne,[218] GHQ moved to Brisbane—the northernmost city in Australia with the necessary communications facilities—in July 1942,[219] occupying the Australian Mutual Provident Society building (renamed after the war as MacArthur Chambers).

He accompanied the assault force aboard the light cruiser Phoenix, the flagship of Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, the new commander of the Seventh Fleet, and came ashore seven hours after the first wave of landing craft, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star.

[250] MacArthur bypassed the Japanese forces at Hansa Bay and Wewak, and assaulted Hollandia and Aitape, which Willoughby reported being lightly defended based on intelligence gathered in the Battle of Sio.

Including Omar Bradley who was promoted during the Korean War so as not to be outranked by MacArthur, they were the only five men to achieve the rank of General of the Army since the 5 August 1888 death of Philip Sheridan.

"[316][317]MacArthur's attempts to shield the Emperor from indictment and to have all the blame taken by Tojo were successful, which as Bix commented, "had a lasting and profoundly distorting impact on the Japanese understanding of the lost war".

[323] His reasoning was if the emperor were executed or sentenced to life imprisonment there would be a violent backlash and revolution from the Japanese from all social classes and this would interfere with his primary goal to change Japan from a militarist, feudal society to a pro-Western modern democracy.

The constitution also enfranchised women, guaranteed fundamental human rights, outlawed racial discrimination, strengthened the powers of Parliament and the Cabinet, and decentralized the police and local government.

In a confidential letter to ACLU leaders the anti-militarist and very liberal Baldwin said about MacArthur, "His observation on civil liberties and democracy rank with the best I ever heard from any civilian — and they were incredible from a general.

He ordered Lieutenant General John R. Hodge, who accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in southern Korea in September 1945, to govern that area on SCAP's behalf and report to him in Tokyo.

With a commendable will, eagerness to learn, and marked capacity to understand, they have from the ashes left in war's wake erected in Japan an edifice dedicated to the supremacy of individual liberty and personal dignity, and in the ensuing process there has been created a truly representative government committed to the advance of political morality, freedom of economic enterprise, and social justice.

His credibility suffered in the unforeseen outcome of the November offensive ..."[382] Collins discussed the possible use of nuclear weapons in Korea with MacArthur in December, and later asked him for a list of targets in the Soviet Union in case it entered the war.

[383][384][385] In April 1951, the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted orders for MacArthur authorizing nuclear attacks on Manchuria and the Shandong Peninsula if the Chinese launched airstrikes originating from there against his forces.

[386] The next day Truman met with the chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Gordon Dean,[387] and arranged for the transfer of nine Mark 4 nuclear bombs to military control.

[396] With the improved military situation, Truman now saw the opportunity to offer a negotiated peace but, on 24 March, MacArthur called upon China to admit that it had been defeated, simultaneously challenging both the Chinese and his own superiors.

When these alleged claims from the diplomats came to the attention of President Truman, he was enraged to learn that MacArthur was supposedly not only trying to increase public support for his position on conducting the war but had secretly informed foreign governments that he planned to initiate actions that were counter to United States policy.

It was his and Jean's first visit to the continental United States since 1937, when they had been married; Arthur IV, now aged 13, had never been to the U.S.[413] On 19 April, MacArthur made his last official appearance in a farewell address to the U.S. Congress presenting and defending his side of his disagreement with Truman over the conduct of the Korean War.

The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away".

He received an engrossed copy of the resolution that honored him for his military leadership during and following World War II and also "for his many years of effort to strengthen the ties between the Philippines and the United States".

A ornate chair and a table with a book on it. A man sits in the chair, wearing an American Civil War style peaked cap. On his sleeves he wears three stripes pointed down with a lozenge of a First Sergeant.
MacArthur as a student at West Texas Military Academy in the late 1890s
MacArthur was an engineer for the first 14 years of his military career. He received these golden castle pins as a gift upon graduation. He carried these pins with him for over 40 years and in 1945 gave them to Major General Leif J. Sverdrup , whom he thought more deserving to wear them. Sverdrup gave them to the Chief of Engineers in 1975. Every Chief of Engineers since then has worn MacArthur's pins. [ 26 ]
A man sits in an ornate chair. He is wearing a peaked cap, greatcoat and riding boots and holding a riding crop.
Brigadier General MacArthur holding a riding crop at a French château, September 1918
French General de Bazelaire decorating Colonel Douglas MacArthur with the Croix de Guerre , 18 March 1918
Brigadier General MacArthur in the center in his unauthorized WWI uniform. He never wore a helmet, even in no man's land , and he would always wear that modified hat. His uniform was completely different from his four subordinates in the photo. [ 50 ] [ 51 ]
Three men in uniform are standing side by side. The one on the left is wearing a peaked "crush cap" and standing smartly at attention, while the two on the right wear garrison caps and are slouching. A man in a peaked cap and Sam Browne belt is pinning something on the chest of the first man. Behind him stands another man in a garrison cap who is reading a document in his hands.
General Pershing (second from left) decorates Brigadier General MacArthur (third from left) with the DSC, October 1918. Major General Charles T. Menoher (left) reads out the citation while Colonel George E. Leach (fourth from left) and Lieutenant Colonel William J. Donovan await their decorations.
Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, commanding the 84th Brigade, 42nd Division, standing in front of his staff car, Saint-Juvin , Ardennes , France, 3 November 1918
Man wearing peaked cap, Sam Browne belt, and shiny riding boots.
MacArthur as West Point Superintendent
MacArthur c. 1925
Police with batons confront demonstrators armed with bricks and clubs. A policeman and a demonstrator wrestle over a U.S. flag.
Bonus Army marchers confront the police.
Five workmen. One is holding a shovel, while the other four are laying bricks to form a drainage ditch along the side of a road.
Civilian Conservation Corps workers on a project alongside a road
MacArthur stands in uniform at four microphones on stands. Behind him four men in army uniforms stand at attention. There are viewed by a large crowd of well-dressed men, women and children in skirts, suits and uniforms.
Ceremony at Camp Murphy , 15 August 1941, marking the induction of the Philippine Army Air Corps. Behind MacArthur, from left to right, are Lieutenant Colonel Richard K. Sutherland, Colonel Harold H. George , Lieutenant Colonel William F. Marquat and Major LeGrande A. Diller .
A long column of men on horseback moving down a road. A tank is parked beside the road.
26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts) move into Pozorrubio past an M3 Stuart tank.
Two men sitting at a desk.
MacArthur (center) with his Chief of Staff, Major General Richard K. Sutherland, in the Headquarters tunnel on Corregidor, Philippines, on 1 March 1942
A bronze plaque with an image of the Medal of Honor, inscribed with MacArthur's Medal of Honor citation. It reads: "For conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula. He mobilized, trained, and led an army which has received world acclaim for its gallant defense against a tremendous superiority of enemy forces in men and arms. His utter disregard of personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgment in each crisis, inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people, and confirmed the faith of the American people in their Armed Forces."
A plaque inscribed with MacArthur's Medal of Honor citation lies affixed to MacArthur barracks at the U.S. Military Academy.
Two men seated at a table side by side talking. One is wearing a suit, the other a military uniform.
Australian prime minister John Curtin (right) confers with MacArthur.
Six men wearing a variety of different uniforms.
Senior Allied commanders in New Guinea in October 1942. Left to right: Mr Frank Forde (Australian Minister for the Army); MacArthur; General Sir Thomas Blamey , Allied Land Forces; Lieutenant General George C. Kenney , Allied Air Forces; Lieutenant General Edmund Herring , New Guinea Force; Brigadier General Kenneth Walker , V Bomber Command.
MacArthur with Native American codetalkers in the Southwest Pacific
Three men are seated in lounge chairs. One is standing, holding a long stick and pointing to the location of Japan on a wall map of the Pacific.
Conference in Hawaii, July 1944. Left to right: General MacArthur, President Roosevelt, Admiral Leahy, Admiral Nimitz.
A group of men wading ashore. With General MacArthur is Philippine President Sergio Osmeña and other U.S. and Philippine Generals.
"I have returned" – General MacArthur returns to the Philippines with Philippine President Sergio Osmeña somewhere to his right, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Carlos P. Romulo at his rear, and Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland on his left. Photo taken by Gaetano Faillace . This iconic image is re-created in larger-than-life statues at MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park .
A large crowd of soldiers and jeeps on a beach. There are palm trees in the distance and landing craft offshore. A small group in the center conspicuously wear khaki uniforms and peaked caps instead of jungle green uniforms and helmets.
General Douglas MacArthur (center), accompanied by Lieutenant Generals George C. Kenney and Richard K. Sutherland and Major General Verne D. Mudge (Commanding General, First Cavalry Division), inspecting the beachhead on Leyte Island, 20 October 1944 with a crowd of onlookers
Eight men in khaki uniforms, seated.
American military officers off Leyte Island in the Philippines, October 1944: Lieutenant General George Kenney, Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland, President Sergio Osmeña , General Douglas MacArthur
MacArthur is seated a small desk, writing. Two men in uniform stand behind him. A large crowd of men in uniform look on.
MacArthur signs the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri . American General Jonathan Wainwright and British General Arthur Percival stand behind him.
A tall Caucasian male (MacArthur), without hat and wearing open-necked shirt and trousers, standing beside a much shorter Asian man (Hirohito) in a dark suit.
MacArthur and the Emperor of Japan , Hirohito , at their first meeting, September 1945
Three rows of benches with a dozen or so men standing behind each. Behind them stand five men in uniform.
The defendants at the Tokyo War Crimes Trials
MacArthur confers with Lieutenant General Walton Walker (right) and other soldiers of the Eighth Army in July 1950.
MacArthur is seated, wearing his field marshal's hat and a bomber jacket, and holding a pair of binoculars. Four other men also carrying binoculars stand behind him.
MacArthur observes the naval shelling of Inchon from USS Mount McKinley , 15 September 1950 with Brigadier General Courtney Whitney (left) and Major General Edward M. Almond (right).
The MacArthur family standing at the top of the stairs leading from a passenger aircraft. Douglas MacArthur stands behind while his wife Jean and son Arthur wave to those below.
Douglas MacArthur (rear), Jean MacArthur, and son Arthur MacArthur IV returning to the Philippines for a visit in 1950
From left to right: MacArthur, Major General Doyle Hickey , and General Matthew Ridgway in a jeep at a UN command post, April 1951, just eight days before his removal by President Truman
MacArthur, in uniform, speaks from a rostrum with several microphones.
MacArthur speaking at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1951
A large bronze statue of MacArthur stands on a pedestal before a large white building with columns. An inscription on the building reads: "Douglas MacArthur Memorial".
Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia. The statue is a duplicate of the one at West Point. The base houses a time capsule which contains various MacArthur, Norfolk and MacArthur Foundation memorabilia. [ 421 ]
Rotunda with two black granite slabs inscribed with the names "Douglas MacArthur" and "Jean Faircloth MacArthur"
Tomb of Douglas and Jean MacArthur at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia
MacArthur commemorative postage stamp
West entrance of the MacArthur Tunnel in San Francisco, California
MacArthur was the subject of two different legal tender commemorative coins in the Philippines in 1947. Filipino coins of MacArthur were also struck in 1980, the 100th anniversary of his birth and in 2014, the 70th anniversary of the Leyte landings.