General Douglas MacArthur (d. 1964)

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Biography

Douglas MacArthur was an American general who served as a top commander during World War II and the Korean War, achieving the rank of General of the Army. He served with distinction in World War I; as chief of staff of the United States Army from 1930 to 1935; as Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area, from 1942 to 1945; as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers overseeing the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951; and as head of the United Nations Command in the Korean War from 1950 to 1951. MacArthur was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times, and awarded it for his WWII service in the Philippines. He is one of only five people to hold the rank of General of the Army, and the only person to hold the rank of Field Marshal in the Philippine Army.

Timeline

The story of General Douglas MacArthur, told in moments.

1880 Birth

Born at the Little Rock Barracks in Arkansas. His father, Arthur MacArthur Jr., is a Medal of Honor recipient. Douglas graduates first in his class at West Point in 1903 with a 98.14 average, one of the highest in the academy's history.

98.14 average at West Point. Was perfection your baseline? A grandfather who died commanding Confederates. Did that legacy weigh?

1918 Event

Commands the 42nd "Rainbow" Division on the Western Front in World War I. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice and the Silver Star seven times. Leads from the front, refusing to carry a gas mask or wear a helmet.

No gas mask, no helmet on the Western Front. Was that bravery or vanity? Two DSCs and seven Silver Stars. Did you keep count?

1942 Event

Ordered by Roosevelt to leave the Philippines as Japanese forces close in. Escapes Corregidor by PT boat, then flies to Australia. At Terowie, South Australia, he delivers the line: "I came through, and I shall return."

'I shall return.' Did you mean it as a promise or a slogan? Escaping Corregidor by PT boat. Was leaving harder than staying?

1945 Event

Accepts Japan's formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. As Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, he oversees the occupation and rebuilding of Japan. He drafts a new constitution, gives women the right to vote, and breaks up the zaibatsu industrial monopolies.

Rewriting Japan's constitution. Did you see yourself as liberator or conqueror? Giving Japanese women the vote. Was that idealism or strategy?

1950 Event

Lands 75,000 troops at Inchon during the Korean War, a flanking maneuver deemed impossible by most of his staff. It works. Seoul is recaptured within two weeks. Then he pushes north toward China, and everything unravels.

The Inchon landing deemed impossible. Did doubt fuel you? Pushing north toward China. Where did confidence become recklessness?

1951 Event

Truman fires him for insubordination after MacArthur publicly advocates bombing China. He returns to the U.S. to a hero's welcome and addresses Congress: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." He fades.

Truman firing you. Did you see it coming? 'Old soldiers never die.' Did you actually fade away?

1964 Death

Dies at Walter Reed Army Hospital at 84. He receives a state funeral. Buried in the rotunda of the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, wearing no medals on his uniform, per his request.

Buried with no medals, per your request. Was modesty the last performance? Did the state funeral feel adequate?