Biography

[b]Son of a Soldier [/b] [br /]
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In July 1861, the 6th Volunteer Infantry US Regiment was on parade through Milwaukee on its way to the Railroad station. A 16-year-old boy was urging every company commander to let him allow joining his company. "No, my boy…You are not old enough and strong enough for a soldier. You would not last a month…You would better be a scholar than a soldier, anyway." "I propose to do both, Sir." But the poor boy ! Calmly or rudely, he was denied every time by each of the 10 commanders of the Regiment.[br /]
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The boy did not lose hope. He was dreaming about nothing but to become a soldier and to participate in the Civil War. He managed to get a recommendation letter, addressed to President Abraham Lincoln, from the father of his closest friend Charles King. The father was a judge by profession. The boy, with the letter in hand and hope in heart, visited the White House. At the President's order, his name was enrolled in the US Army in June 1863. The 19-year-old boy was posted to United States Military Academy at the West Point.[br /]
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The boy was Arthur MacArthur, whose life as a soldier covered almost a half-century of American military history. He began his career with the Civil War, through the Indian wars and ended becoming a hero of Spanish-American War. He was posted to New Orleans in 1875, where he met and married Mary Pinckney Hardy. She belonged to Virginia, the famous nursery of warriors and attorneys. By 1879, Arthur and Mary had two children : Arthur, born in 1876, and Malcolm, born in 1878. Meanwhile, Arthur was posted as a captain to the former government arsenal at Little Rock Barracks, Arkansas. It was a comfortable post as his duties were not so burdensome. At the same time, it was an isolated place sans social life.[br /]
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[b] Birth [/b] [br /]
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In a military camp, covered with the Arsenal Barracks - the large redbrick structures with two imposing octagonal towers, Mary gave birth to a third and last child was on January 26, 1880. He was named Douglas.[br /]
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[b]Sound of Bugles[/b][br /]
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Douglas MacArthur's boyhood ideal was his father who, later rose to be a, Lieutenant General. His mother was an ambitious woman, who strongly influenced Douglas. Compared to his ancestors, Douglas' life was a unique one. Throughout his life, he never spent a single day, or even an hour, outside the US Army. None of his initial years were spent in a civilian household. The drums of parades, the strict military discipline, the sounds of bugles, bombarding and rifle shooting had become the part of Douglas' existence from the time his mother clutched him as a baby in her arms. [br /]
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When Douglas was four, the family moved to an army cantonment not far away from the Mexican border. Douglas' early years were spent in the remote sections of New Mexico. His father, Arthur MacArthur was posted to command an infantry company charged with protecting the settlers and railroad workers from the West Indian menace.[br /]
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The life at a place like Fort Seldon at New Mexico, was heady stuff. As he mentioned in his Reminiscences, he grew up amid 'the sound of bugles'. His parents were full of enthusiasm for life. They always kept themselves busy and were disciplined. Little Douglas would watch the action of his father, and hear each talk of his mother with faith and curiosity. The behavior of his father and the inspiring lessons from his mother taught him one thing : A MacArthur is always in charge.[br /]
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Douglas was a brilliant child. He mastered horse riding and rifle shooting even before he could 'read or write'. His mother was an energetic and patriot lady, who taught her children, the first principles of life. She gave lessons concerning the sense of obligation. As Douglas wrote in his Reminiscences, his mother taught him that "We were to do what was right, no matter what the personal sacrifice might be. Our country was always to come first."[br /]
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The morals and ethics developed in Douglas' life early. His father once remarked, how great spiritual forces played an important role in motivating his son's life : "Somehow or other, Douglas has acquired through his mother, the rare and subconscious gift of being able to tune in on the great infinite forces that exist in the universe, and draw from them, an inner resilience and guiding power."[br /]
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[b]Military Training [/b] [br /]
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When Douglas was six, his father was posted at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The environment here was different somehow. The place was more civilized and people were more social. Their mother, popular in her circle as 'Pinky', took Douglas and his brothers to socialize with people.[br /]
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When he was nine, his father was posted in the War Department, and so the family moved to Washington DC.
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Every child needs warmth from the family. Douglas was fortunate to get warmth from his grandfather, Judge Arthur Sr. MacArthur at Washington. Judge MacArthur was a man of proficiency, who entertained Washington's elite. Douglas spent a considerable time with his grandfather. He learned the second valuable lesson from his great grandfather : A MacArthur is a scholar and a gentleman.[br /]
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This helped him to build a firm and complete persona. Douglas's father had a transferable job and he had a chance to experience many places, communities and cultures. He was educated at many places during 1880s and '90s, whenever his father was assigned his military duty. An average student, his intellect began to sparkle in 1893. When he was 13, the family shifted to San Antonio, Texas. His father sent him to the West Texas Military Academy where Douglas' strict military training began. He shaped himself in the ideal atmosphere of the Academy that provided him knowledge in various academic subjects - religion, military discipline and Victorian social graces. These were the most formative years which crafted his adolescence. [br /]
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[b] Entered the US Army [/b] [br /]
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In 1897, Colonel Arthur MacArthur was posted at St. Paul, Minnesota. Douglas was brilliant at the academy at Texas. He decided to appear for the competitive examination to be held for a post at West Point. Douglas took the opportunity. MacArthur family's political connections were sound and so the boy was nominated for the vacant post by a Congressman from Milwaukee. In the qualifying exams, held in May 1898, Douglas scored the highest.[br /]
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The next month he received an official appointment letter, selecting him in the United States Military Academy at the West Point. It was the beginning of his long-lasting military career.[br /]
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[b]The Years at West Point[/b][br /]
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Soon after joining the West Point, the Spanish-American War had put the far east on fire. The troops of United States defeated the Spanish army and one of these forces was led by Brigadier General Arthur MacArthur. He played a major role in the American efforts to liberate Philippines from the Spanish rule. During this military operation, Arthur MacArthur had to stay in Manila, and serve as military governor there. By June 1900, Arthur MacArthur had succeeded General Otis as Commander of the American contingent and as the Governor General of the Philippines. On his return later, his countrymen welcomed him as the 'hero' of the Spanish-American War.[br /]
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While his brave father was enjoying the fame, Douglas was at West Point. The discipline at the Point was very strict. There was a problem of student harassment here. It would become a subject of a congressional investigation. During the second year at the West Point, Douglas was called before the military court as a main witness in a case, in which he had been an alleged victim. He was forced to finger out at the seniors, involved in his harassment. Inclined by a feeling of nausea, Douglas requested the court to forgive the offenders, refusing to mention their names.
After the painful trial got over, Douglas was taken to quarters. He was scared that he would be placed under arrest. This incident happened when Douglas was in his teens. He recalled it after 60 years, "for that dread step of the adjutant coming to put me under arrest. But it never came. The names were obtained through other means…" [br /]
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The four years spent at West Point were the most formative in Douglas' life. He played in the baseball team for two years. All the time, he was inspired by his gorgeous family tradition and pride. Douglas was, the most handsome, charming and the most photogenic cadet at the West Point. Being the son of a renowned military leader Arthur MacArthur, famous for his part in the Philippine mission, he got a special favor of young girls. Once, a wide-eyed beautiful girl asked him : "Are you really the son of General MacArthur ?" Greeting her very gently, Douglas replied : "Yes'm, General MacArthur has that proud distinction."[br /]
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[b]Shared his Father's Platform[/b][br /]
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Arthur MacArthur felt a proud father when Douglas graduated first in his class in 1903. In June 1903, Douglas MacArthur was appointed as Second Lieutenant in the Engineers, a élite corps of the US army then. With a corps of Engineers, he was posted to Philippines, the country that made his father famous overnight. For the next 10 years, Douglas served as an aide and a junior engineering officer. Co-incidentally, his father was also stationed at the Pacific coast. Douglas sailed to the islands and while serving there, he was once called being "waylaid on a narrow jungle trail by two desperados, one on each side."[br /]
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Without hesitation, he responded, "Like all frontiersmen, I was expert with a pistol. I dropped them both dead in their tracks, but not before one had blazed at me with an antiquated rifle." But as he wrote, he enjoyed his first experience of physical danger with excitement.[br /]
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He returned to California after a year abroad, and joined his father as an aide-de-camp in Japan on the mission of reporting the Russo-Japanese War. This was the most important period of Douglas' early professional life, as he learned many things in the company of his brave father. Both were instructed to make tours and to review the military forces of Southeast Asia and India, which was under British rule then. They traveled through Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon and the Dutch East Indies. Douglas had an opportunity to meet the leaders of 11 countries. The MacArthur family, wherever they went, were given a royal treatment. Douglas learnt many military strategies during this period. [br /]
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Recalling his trips, Douglas wrote in his memoirs, "…(this experience) was without doubt the most important factor in my entire life. It was crystal clear to me that the future, and, indeed, the very existence of America, were irrevocably entwined with Asia and its island outposts." And he retained his opinion till the end of his life.[br /]
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[b] Lost his 'Inspiration'[/b][br /]
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MacArthur graduated from the Engineer School of Application in 1906. In 1907, Douglas MacArthur was assigned a tedious job at Milwaukee. Because of the monotonous work, he received a poor evaluation. Meanwhile, he was attracted towards Fanniebelle, a young wealthy lady from New York. He fell in love with Fanniebelle, but this affair put his promising career at stake. This situation did not last long. He got his next assignment at the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Free from the hopeless atmosphere of Milwaukee, at Kansas, he learnt many things related to war from George Marshall. Soon, he went to Washington as a member of the Engineer Board. At Washington, he visited the Panama Canal Zone. Meanwhile, he also served as an ADC to the US President Roosevelt.[br /]
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During this period, his father General Arthur MacArthur's career was under a cloud. He had a dispute with the Secretary of War, William Taft, on the Philippines matters. It was expected that he would be promoted to Chief of Staff from Lieutenant General. But it did not materialize till his retirement in June 1909. After few months, Taft succeeded Roosevelt.[br /]
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Douglas lost his guide, friend, and an inspirational figure, three years later as Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur died while addressing the reunion of his old Civil War regiment. When Douglas saw his father's dead body, wrapped in the battle flag, he felt being isolated. Later, he recalled this shocking incident, "the world changed that night; never have I have been able to heal the wound in my heart."[br /]
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[b]Operation Vera Cruz[/b][br /]
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In 1911, Douglas MacArthur had a chance to perform his duties under the wing of Leonard Wood, the Chief of Staff. While working on military exercises with the protégé of his father, Douglas' career again started rolling forward.[br /]
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The following year, he swept out the anarchy on the Mexican-American border, which had created restlessness among Mexican farmers and the American government. After this successful operation, MacArthur was posted to the general staff in Washington in 1913. For the first time, he found himself with a challenging mission as the US government intervened in the Mexican Revolution. Wood sent Douglas to Vera Cruz, Mexico. There he spent several months with the American troops, which occupied Vera Cruz in 1914.[br /]
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He returned to Washington after the successful operation, leaving the Mexican border marked with his brave and characteristic image : A stout soldier, with a round military cap and a corn-cob pipe between his lips, is roaming on the boarder of San Antonio, observing his first remarkable abroad victory.[br /]
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[b] World War I[/b][br /]
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When Washington authorities were promoting MacArthur as a major, the world was ablaze with the outbreak of World War I in Europe. Americans too sharpened their arms. Looking at MacArthur's excellent record at the Mexican point, he was made the first PRO (public relations officer) of the US army. He performed excellently here. Today, he is largely credited for encouraging the Americans to join the military service. Douglas was instrumental in the successful implementation of the Selective Service Act, which was drafted and passed by the Congress. The aim of the act was to strengthen the army to send it to France at the earliest, as it was about to enter the War in Europe.[br /]
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By 1917, around 175,000 Americans joined the army and four promising Divisions were found. Impressed with MacArthur's soldierly bearing and strength of character, he was made the leader of the 42nd Rainbow Division. It was a unique and a colorful unit, with members from all parts of America having different backgrounds. It was time for Douglas to display his leadership, when he landed his Division at St. Nazaire in October 1917. His unit underwent training at the Meuse Valley.[br /]
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In February 1918, the Rainbow Division, one of the first US National Guard Units to be prepared before the war, marched to the front along the Lunè-ville-Baccarat area led by Douglas MacArthur, a chief of staff. In his first raid on the French troops, he led his soldiers through the barbed wire. At one stage, he fought nonstop for four days ! He writes, "Crawling forward in twos and threes against each stubborn nest of enemy guns, we closed in with the bayonet and hand grenade. It was savage and there was no quarter asked or given. It seemed to be endless. Bitterly, brutally the action seesawed back and forth."
MacArthur's fighting style on the battlefield could be compared to a real soldier. He had a habit of going on the battlefield without a helmet, or unarmed. Once on field, he had a serious throat infection from gas. Investigations were carried out, where his superior, Pershing said, "Stop all this nonsense. MacArthur is the greatest leader of troops we have, and I intend to make him a Division Commander." [br /]
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When the War ended, the Rainbow Division had suffered heavy casualties, playing a major role in occupying the Rhineland. MacArthur turned out to be an excellent soldier in American-French War. The US government decorated him with an American Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre. The moment, when the French General de Bazelaire pinned the medal on MacArthur's tunic and kissed both his cheeks, MacArthur's countrymen felt proud of him.[br /]
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[b]Wedding Bells [/b] [br /]
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During the first months of 1919, MacArthur relaxed in his $5000 suite, consisting four rooms and three baths, at the Rhine. Back in Washington, he received a warm welcome. He retained his wartime position of a Brigadier General. In addition, he was promoted as the Superintendent of West Point, becoming the youngest man ever to hold this post. His immediate predecessor was 71, whereas he was only 39. He restructured the training modules and dragged the moribund Academy into the 20th century. His disciplined training churned out a number of cadets. This lot was absolutely fit to drive the country to face any terrible wars. MacArthur, in three years at the West Point, brought massive reforms. The responsibilities and interests of America had increased after World War I, and MacArthur was to play a decisive role.[br /]
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On the personal front, he fell in love with a beautiful rich divorcee, Louise Cromwell and they married in 1922. It was also the completion of MacArthur's term at the West Point. Temperamentally, the couple was poles apart in their tastes. MacArthur was fond of his islands and was glad to be back to his military duties, whereas Louise enjoyed the glamorous city life of New York and Paris. The differences increased and the childless union ended when Louise filed a petition for divorce seven years later. Unfortunately, MacArthur's first marriage failed.[br /]
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[b]In Manila [/b] [br /]
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Douglas was appointed at his favorite district, Manila, in the Philippines. He was happy to come back after many years. He took command of the Army's Philippine Department. Here he renewed his friendship with Manuel Quezon, the island's leading politician. MacArthur knew him since 1903. MacArthur was deputed a President of the American Olympic Committee in 1927. Under his superb presidency, the US team performed very well at the Olympics held in Amsterdam, the next year. After the completion of the Games, he resumed his army appointment and went to Philippines as a Commander, again.[br /]
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[b] An Army General [/b] [br /]
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In July 1929, MacArthur was informed that the US President Hoover wanted him to be the Chief of Engineers. Douglas refused to hold the post on the grounds that he lacked the engineering expertise. This was the wisest decision in his career. The President subsequently offered him to succeed General Summerall, whose term was to expire in November 1930.[br /]
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Finally, MacArthur gave in. By the end of the year, he rose to become the Chief of Staff with the rank of full General. Recalling the moment, he remarked, "…(I) wished from the bottom of my heart to stay with troops in a field command. But my mother, who made her home in Washington, sensed what was in my mind and cabled me to accept. She said my father would be ashamed if I showed timidity…"[br /]
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[b]The Bonus March [/b] [br /]
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MacArthur had landed up as the Chief of Staff when the US Army badly needed a dynamic and inspiring leader to shed the post war depression. Douglas was the youngest Chief of Staff.[br /]
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The US army had only 1,25,000 soldiers and 12,000 officers while the Britain's standing army was 2,30,000 and USSR had an army of 6,24,000. MacArthur felt that US was dangerously under-strength and not well equipped to fight the war. As the Chief of Staff, he made two trips to Europe, subsequently in 1931 and 1932. He was highly impressed by the French troops, which included the replacement of mounted horse cavalry with fast, heavily armored tanks. He felt that America needed such changes in the field of security.[br /]
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At this point, the American Expedition Force Veterans were roofless, jobless and breadless, surviving on hopes of the long-promised bonus in return for their services. Thousands of them marched to the Capital of US in summer 1932, demanding their bonus payments and other promised privileges. MacArthur could no longer see them suffer. He ordered tents and other provisions with rolling kitchens for the marchers. But soon the situation went out of control, with the intervention of the Communists lobby. If the government provided the marchers with three meals a day, thousands of destitutes and the unemployed would join the Bonus Army. MacArthur had no alternative other than to follow the official orders to stop the marchers. Actually, bloodshed took place in the military actions, but the smoke from the burning camps tarnished the reputation of MacArthur and President Hoover. The former was widely criticized, when he sent regular troops to oust the Bonus Army of Veterans. Most of the Americans sympathized with the marchers. Even the media criticized his action. MacArthur became a symbol of repression and fanaticism, in the public eye throughout. I[br /]
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[b]Reviving the Army[/b][br /]
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After the 'Bonus Marches' controversy, the national political scenario changed. On March 4, 1933, Franklin D Roosevelt succeeded Hoover. The US army had to face a cut in its funds of around $30,000,000. MacArthur opposed it, saying if America lost the next war, he wanted the American soldier, dying in the mud to spit out the name 'Roosevelt' before he died, not 'MacArthur'. Later, MacArthur apologized for his derogatory remarks, and tended his resignation. With foresight, Roosevelt didn't accept his resignation and provided the army with sufficient budget. He also extended MacArthur's term for one year in 1934. This had never happened before. The Secretary of War, George Dern, congratulated MacArthur : 'You've saved the army.'[br /]
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But MacArthur has expressed his feelings in his memoirs : '…but I just vomited on the steps of the White House.'[br /]
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[b] The Philippines Mission[/b][br /]
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Mechanizing the US army, he retired at the age of 55 from the post of Chief of Staff in 1935. On this occasion, he was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguished Service Medal for his contribution of preparing the Army Air Corps. President Roosevelt appointed him the head of the American military mission to the new Philippine Commonwealth, which was inaugurated in a tense and threatening atmosphere of Japanese expansion in the Far East. MacArthur was to embark upon a new career at a ripening age, but as it was far away from the US capital, the political influence was not a matter. He kept the job for 10 years, until he was 66. The Philippine Commonwealth was the most important mission of his life. Just before he left for Philippines, he was bestowed with another medal, his second Distinguished Service Medal.[br /]
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Accepting the command of the Commonwealth military establishment, he retired from the US army in 1937. At Philippines, he had four officers in his staff. One of them was Major Dwight Eisenhower, who later became the 34th President of US. [br /]
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His old friend and a President of newly created Philippine Commonwealth, Manuel Quezon, had agreed to provide $7,500,000 to $10,000,000 per annum to fulfil the military requirements. But as Quezon was unable to meet these needs, the budget was brought down to $6,000,000. MacArthur worked his best as the head of a US military mission, charged to free dozens of islands from the Japanese claws in 1946.[br /]
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[b]Second Marriage[/b][br /]
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The domestic life of MacArthur was not happy. His mother died and this left Douglas lonely. He would spend his free time to go for the movies almost every night. Jean Marie Faircloth entered his life and they got married in 1937. Their only child Arthur was born the next year. The 58-year-old General proved to be a doting father.[br /]
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[b]World War II[/b][br /]
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The same year, MacArthur toured through Japan, Mexico and US, with Quezon. He was impressed and worried by the Japanese military buildup. He foresaw the future events and MacArthur was right. The increasing threat of the Japanese in East Asia disturbed his quiet life in Manila.[br /]
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MacArthur was recalled to active duty in July 1941 as a Supreme Allied Commander for the Pacific Campaigns to lead the US armed forces in East Asia. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, declaring the beginning of World War II. The Japanese planes also attacked the Philippines. The Japanese hit the nail on the head and brutally destroyed MacArthur's airforce.[br /]
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By January 1942, among the commonwealth forces, 12,000 American and 35,000 Filipino troops had to retreat toward the Bataan peninsula. Here too survival was difficult. MacArthur was helpless to do anything but watch his world fall apart silently. [br /]
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On January 10, he received a message from the Japanese Commander, "…you are doomed. The end is near. The question is how long you will be able to resist. You have already cut rations by half. I appreciate the fighting spirit of yourself and your troops who have been fighting with courage. Your prestige and honor have been upheld. However, in order to avoid needless bloodshed and to save the remnants of your divisions and your auxiliary troops, you are advised to surrender." [br /]
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The heavy bombarding on Bataan continued. MacArthur retained his composure in the face of disaster. This impressed his men. They called him 'Dugont Dough' :[br /]
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Dugout Doug MacArthur lies,[br /]

a' shaking on the Rock[br /]

Safe from all the bombers and [br /]

from any sudden shock.[br /]
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The situation worsened. American soldiers, hiding in the underground camps could not stand Japanese attacks. President Roosevelt had authorized MacArthur to deal with the situation, and Quezon, his friend begged him to leave the place with his wife and young son in a submarine.[br /]
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The brave soldier replied : "I have not the slightest intention in the world of surrendering or capitulating the Filipino forces of my command. I intend to fight to destruction on Bataan and then do the same on Corregidor." And about his wife and son, he told to Quezon, "She will stay with me to the end. We drink from the same cup…I and my family will share the fate of the garrison." Highly impressed by his answer, Quezon presented his signet ring to MacArthur and told him, "When they (MacArthur's family) find your body, I want them to know you fight for my country."[br /]
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Unfortunately MacArthur's desire was never fulfilled. On one side, the Japanese were occupying the Philippines slowly, and on the other, President Roosevelt was not ready to let America's most decorated general fall to the enemy. So he sent a secret order to MacArthur to march to Australia to command Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Theatre.[br /]
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He reached Australia after a difficult journey. The reporters surrounded him expecting his comments. MacArthur casually remarked : "The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed from Corregidor to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, of organizing the American offensive against Japan, a primary object of which is the relief of the Philippines. I came through and I shall return."[br /]
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[b]Duty [/b] [br /]
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The next three years, the world witnessed the implementation of his personal quest - I shall return, which have became synonymous with the Pacific War. He came through the dense forests of New Guinea and launched a series of campaigns to roll back the Japanese. By January 1943, he drove the Japanese out of Papua. He directed a series of operations throughout the campaign and successfully occupied the strategic points from Lae to Sansapor in New Guinea to Lwyte in Philippines. In the autumn of 1944, the world witnessed him as he dramatically captured Lwyte and in a short span, he liberated the rest of the Philippines.[br /]
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[b]Honor [/b] [br /]
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He was promoted as a five-star General of the US army in December 1944. After four months, he was appointed Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. He was honored to preside over the Japanese surrender on board of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.[br /]
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Before the Japanese officials were invited to sign the Instrument of Surrender, MacArthur said, "We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers…to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored…It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past…a world founded upon faith and understanding…a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish…for freedom, tolerance and justice." [br /]
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At this historical moment, when all the representatives signed the treaty, MacArthur's roaring voice broke the silence : "Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed." [br /]
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When the ceremony ended in an amicable atmosphere, the media-persons surrounded MacArthur. MacArthur had stolen the show. MacArthur was an American hero now, the most sought after figure among the media.[br /]
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And after a few minutes, a message was broadcast for the people of America; an eloquent speech where words flowed from the heart of a soldier-cum-leader their 'hero' : "Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain death…the seas bear only commerce, men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly at peace. The holy mission has been completed. And in reporting this to you, the people, I speak for the thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among the jungles and the beaches and in the deep waters of the Pacific, which marked the way. I speak for the unnamed brave millions homeward bound to take up the challenge of that, which they did so much so salvage from the brink of disaster."[br /]
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It was the end of World War II, one of the most horrible events, which is preserved only on the bloodsheded pages of the War history.[br /]
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[b]In Japan[/b][br /]
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MacArthur worked as an Allied Commander of the Japanese occupation from 1945 to 1951. In Japan, he directed the demobilization of Japanese military forces, the revival of the country's economy and drafted the liberal constitution of Japan, his most important political contribution.[br /]
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Simultaneously he carried out a number of significant reformative actions; land redistribution, labor, child education, public health, women's rights and post-war rehabilitation programs. He rebuilt the war-torn Japan, into a democratic one. Japan is one of world's leading industrial and technological powers today. But its amazing progress is rooted in MacArthur's administrative and political strategy, somewhere.[br /]
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[b] Political Platform[/b][br /]
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MacArthur's political influence increased day-by-day. His name was seriously considered for the Republican presidential nomination in 1948. It was forwarded for the US presidency in 1944 before. Though being widely admired as a military hero, he had a huge critical audience. He had opposed most of the New Deal legislation of the 1930s and his quarrels with Roosevelt during the wartime were open. His candidature for the Wisconsin primary election was rejected flat by the conservative Republican groups. MacArthur was disappointed. He was not to be disappointed for long as something was yet to come in his career. The Korean War was to begin.[br /]
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[b]Korean War[/b][br /]
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On a Saturday evening, June 24, 1950, the President of US, Harry Truman was enjoying a weekend with his family, at his residence. Suddenly the telephone rang. The Secretary of State conveyed a message to him, "Mr. President, I have some very serious news. The North Koreans have invaded South Korea." The urgent meeting of Security Council of United Nations was called upon and it adjourned with the decision that General MacArthur is the new commander of the US-led coalition of UN forces, in South Korea. MacArthur planned the successful Inchon Operation, and reversed the military situation with an amphibious assault behind North Korean lines at the Port of Inchon. After driving the North Korean forces back over the 38th parallel, he invaded the Yalu River area, the border between North Korea and Mao's Communist China. In spite of the warning that this might provoke Chinese intervention, he approached the Chinese border and had to face, what he called, 'an entirely new war'. [br /]
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When China intervened, MacArthur had two choices, to advance or to withdraw. He felt that if he continued to advance, the Chinese could be stopped. He also sought a permission to bomb the Chinese bases in Manchuria. But Pentagon denied. MacArthur felt frustrated. He wanted to win the war in Southeast Asia, but the US government was not ready to provide the tools or the authority to finish the task.[br /]
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[b]Dismissal [/b] [br /]
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On March 24, 1951, MacArthur openly blamed Truman for not giving him the permission to continue the war, saying that we would have defeated Communist China by striking on the coast and the interior bases. The message reached the White House and the reaction was exactly what MacArthur had expected. He got an official notification : 'I [President Truman] deeply regret that it becomes my duty as President and Commander in Chief of the United States military forces to replace you as Supreme Commander, Allied Powers, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command; Commander in Chief, Far East, and Commanding General, US Army, Far East. You will turn over your commands, effective at once, to Lieutenant General Matthew B Ridgway. You are authorized to issue such orders as are necessary to complete the desired travel to such a place as you select. My reasons for your replacement will be made public concurrently with the delivery to you of the foregoing order."[br /]
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President Harry Truman relieved the dedicated General of all commands, alleging 'out of sympathy' with US, on April 11, 1951. MacArthur had just finished his lunch and was preparing to leave for the front. With a frozen face, he told his wife, "Jannie, we're going home at last." [br /]
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After 52 years of military service, MacArthur's career ended. He returned to the US after 15 years in the services abroad. Among the Japanese, his removal generated sincere and deep emotions. America was shocked, disappointed and angry to hear about this dismissal. White House received around 78,000 telegraphs, most of them condemning the President's action. Public sympathy was entirely in favor of the 'American hero'.[br /]
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A Grand Welcome at Washington [/b] [br /]
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MacArthur bid a good-bye to Japan on April 16, 1951. At the airport, he was greeted by a 19-gun salute. MacArthur sailed on his personal Constellation Bataan, ready to take off for US. It landed on the airport of San Francisco, the next evening.[br /]
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The airport overflowed with people cheering and waving their hands, showing their respect towards their hero. It took two hours to reach the hotel from the airport ! On April 19, he reached the US capital, passing through adulating crowds throughout the way.[br /]
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In Washington, he addressed the joint session of Congress. At his farewell function, MacArthur gave a 34-minute speech that was interrupted with frequent applauses. Concluding his memorable speech with the magic words, he said : "…I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular ballads of that day, which proclaimed most proudly that - Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away - an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good-bye."
The television broadcast his address live. It was an appeal to millions of Americans; an inspiration to American army men today.[br /]
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[b]A Soldier Never Dies[/b][br /]
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His supporters once again nominated MacArthur, aged 72, for the US Presidency in 1952. But the conservative Republican groups ruined this effort too. Around that period, he accepted the board chairmanship of the business group, Remington Rand Corporation. The following years, he lived peacefully in New York. He rarely made public appearances in his last years; one of them was on May 12, 1962, when he was honored with the Sylvanus Thayer Medal, the most prestigious award of the US Military Academy. On that occasion, he urged the cadets to recall their motto - 'Duty, Honor, Country'.[br /]
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On April 5, 1964, the 'old soldier' made a final exit from this world. He was 84. His demise in a Washington hospital left a vacuum in the patriotic hearts. The sounds of bugles, the roaring military tanks and the echoes of parades froze. With the US national flag flown at half-mast, he was buried with national honor in the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia. [br /]
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America and the world had lost a brilliant soldier; his words still echoing :[br /]
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Duty, Honor, Country.[br /]
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