Douglas MacarthurEssay Preview: Douglas MacarthurReport this essayDouglas MacArthur was a US soldier, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. The son of a Union army hero during the Civil War (they are the only father and son to win the Congressional Medal of Honor) and a mother ambitious for his success, he trained at West Point (1903), rose steadily in the army, and demonstrated his bravado on a secret mission to Mexico (1914). In World War 1 he commanded a brigade in combat in France (1918), where he earned a reputation for bravery (wounded three times) as well as foppery – he carried a muffler and a riding crop into the line, but not a helmet or a gas mask. After serving as the superintendent of West Point (1919-22), he completed his second tour of duty in the Philippines.
>Douglas Macarthur, 1833-1956: “I know how to handle the battlefield. This has not been the case, I am sure of it. But it is also how you would be handled. By your own side you would not have been. The soldiers must also be treated with care for their own safety and the security of their families, their friends, or the community which surrounds them. That is a true military discipline. If they want the best they must accept. Only then can they be truly independent of each other, their loved ones, their own institutions, or any military organization, and in that case they must accept it. As well that means they must be able to choose their own course.”
«>Douglas Macarthur, 1886-1971: “You have not, at this point in my life, forgotten that I took the time, the effort, the effort I sought, and the effort I have been compelled to have in my life to serve the American people, to the country I serve. I am sure you also had the effort as well, because there was much to be said about it, as I was sure I would make good on my offer. I did indeed serve this country after all. For the greater part I served in Europe and America, and I am sure many in the rest of the world. I spent more time in the United States than all the others combined. I made sacrifices and sacrifices, and I learned more and more. Now when I thought of the time in which I was born, and how I might have served, and when I left it, how I might have enjoyed my time, and how I might have learned something about my own family and that of all Americans, I knew it was time. This is all I know. My heart has changed and I am sure of it. And I know how many of the other people must now know and care about it too. And then to do a better job of respecting it is in the heart of my strength. The effort to serve my country must lead one way or another toward an independent and positive life that will do for that or at least help to make it successful. And the effort should be based on the ability to love one another, to accept one another as one with respect and mutual respect, and embrace and love each other with open mind. When you have been through so many years and know how to be good, people often say, ‘What can we do or not do?’ What can you really do? What are we going to do, for example, when the dust settles? What are we going to do about it? Should we make it possible for other people or for our fellow men to take responsibility for this and protect us against the scourge of war?”
Douglas MacArthur wrote this assessment after he received his letter from the Secretary of War (
>Douglas Macarthur, 1833-1956: “I know how to handle the battlefield. This has not been the case, I am sure of it. But it is also how you would be handled. By your own side you would not have been. The soldiers must also be treated with care for their own safety and the security of their families, their friends, or the community which surrounds them. That is a true military discipline. If they want the best they must accept. Only then can they be truly independent of each other, their loved ones, their own institutions, or any military organization, and in that case they must accept it. As well that means they must be able to choose their own course.”
«>Douglas Macarthur, 1886-1971: “You have not, at this point in my life, forgotten that I took the time, the effort, the effort I sought, and the effort I have been compelled to have in my life to serve the American people, to the country I serve. I am sure you also had the effort as well, because there was much to be said about it, as I was sure I would make good on my offer. I did indeed serve this country after all. For the greater part I served in Europe and America, and I am sure many in the rest of the world. I spent more time in the United States than all the others combined. I made sacrifices and sacrifices, and I learned more and more. Now when I thought of the time in which I was born, and how I might have served, and when I left it, how I might have enjoyed my time, and how I might have learned something about my own family and that of all Americans, I knew it was time. This is all I know. My heart has changed and I am sure of it. And I know how many of the other people must now know and care about it too. And then to do a better job of respecting it is in the heart of my strength. The effort to serve my country must lead one way or another toward an independent and positive life that will do for that or at least help to make it successful. And the effort should be based on the ability to love one another, to accept one another as one with respect and mutual respect, and embrace and love each other with open mind. When you have been through so many years and know how to be good, people often say, ‘What can we do or not do?’ What can you really do? What are we going to do, for example, when the dust settles? What are we going to do about it? Should we make it possible for other people or for our fellow men to take responsibility for this and protect us against the scourge of war?”
Douglas MacArthur wrote this assessment after he received his letter from the Secretary of War (
Appointed army chief-of-staff in 1930 (the youngest ever), he offended liberal-minded people by characterizing as communists the Bonus Army veterans he evicted from Washington in 1932. In 1935-41 he served as the military adviser to the Philippine government. In July 1941 he was named commander of US forces in the Far East but, overwhelmed by the Japanese after Pearl Harbor, he was ordered to leave his forces on Bataan peninsula (with his promise I shall return!) and go to Australia. In 1942-5, as commander of the Southwest Pacific area (1942-5), he organized an island-hopping offensive that resulted in the return of US forces to the Philippines (Oct 1944). Supreme commander of the Allied powers, he presided over the Japanese surrender (2 Sep 1945). As military governor of Japan (1945-50), he was a benevolent dictator in forcing Japan to purge itself of its militarism and to adopt more democratic ways.
On the outbreak of the Korean War (Jul 1950), he became commander of United Nations forces in Korea, in which capacity he directed the Inchon offensive that forced the invading North Koreans to surrender most of their gains. When Chinese forces began fighting alongside the North Koreans in November 1950, he forcefully advocated an extension of the war into China. This led to conflict with President Truman, who relieved MacArthur from command (11 Apr 1951). This caused great controversy; MacArthur returned home to the heros welcome he had not yet enjoyed; and concluded his address to Congress with his citation of an old military song, Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Talk of his running for president came to nothing, and after serving as chairman of the board of Remington
, the company bought a home with his wife in Manhattan.
On the Korean War (Sep 1950), he became commanding general of United Nations forces in Korea (6,000 men who were stationed at the command of the Americans); he led the Inchon attack that began on 8 September 1950 and, following the surrender of the Americans, led the Korean War in May 1951. During the conflict during the 1950s, the South Korea Army became a major force in the US-led war against Japan.
The Second World War: New York City to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Washington (1950s)
The Second World War was a world war in which New York, Los Angeles, the Pacific, and Washington were involved. It was fought by the United States as the only armed force in the United States, which led the Western Allies in their effort to weaken the United States on the Korean front (4 May 1948).
In 1960, the Cold War began. The Cold War began with a massive Soviet-backed effort to seize the Falklands, which was aimed at bringing down an Iranian invasion of the US and to create what was known as the “Arctic Project”. Although not a complete success, it nevertheless was a great step towards securing Western military supplies as well as to secure the South Korean side of the peninsula.
During the Cold War the US was prepared for a major confrontation with Soviet forces in Japan. A joint US-Soviet war plan was developed in 1961 aimed at securing the Japanese military base at Nimitz by invading China. This operation was successfully successful, making it the greatest nuclear threat to the US and the world. The US had an opportunity to gain access to the nuclear weapons sites to defend the West. The US also had Soviet support and was well prepared for war. The war was considered a success because of its long-term importance against the Soviets, their military might, and in particular the potential use of atomic weapons. The US had lost its first significant war victory to Great Britain in the Second World War, but its military might would be expanded by the end of the decade, and would soon be taken up by China.
Soviet forces in China occupied the first of the two bases (one on the northwest and one on the northeastern edge of the central city of Beijing and surrounding territory) in August 1965 to secure their nuclear weapons sites and to keep the Soviet Union and the United States off North Korea. Soviet General General Leonid Brezhnev made the operation the cornerstone of the Third World War, and it would not be long before the USSR would be able to use its nuclear arsenals as a bargaining exercise. By the early 1970s, the US military was ready for any confrontation as a result of his role in the attack on Pearl Harbor (Aug 1971).
The Second World War would prove to be the defining event of the Cold War. The United States and Russia came to see each other as adversaries and therefore the USSR had the option of withdrawing the US from the Cold War. In 1969, as the USSR lost most of the South