Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) was a well-known American commander who fought against parts of the Central Powers in the First World War before leading Allied troops in the Pacific Theater against Japan during WWII. He oversaw the US military occupation of Japan after WWII and commanded U.N. troops in the Korean War.
MacArthur’s Early Years
MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the son of General Arthur MacArthur, an American Civil War hero who subsequently became the military ruler of the Philippines. Before becoming an engineer officer, MacArthur graduated with distinction from the United States Military Academy in 1903. His military career comprised numerous mundane postings over the following four years while he traveled the Orient as his father’s assistant. He was also the army’s first public relations officer and worked as an adviser to President Theodore Roosevelt.
MacArthur’s First World War Achievements
During WWI, MacArthur rose through the ranks of the military, earning many leadership and gallantry awards for his brave acts in the 42nd Division. As the superintendent of West Point from 1919 to 1922, he transformed the military school. Following his previous duties, including leadership of the Philippine Department, he was appointed army Chief of Staff in 1930 for a five-year term, the longest of any predecessor.
Although he battled hard for army troops during the Great Depression, he was chastised when he used force to evict disgruntled veterans from Washington, D.C. In 1935, MacArthur resigned as Army Top of Staff to become the Philippine government’s chief military advisor.
MacArthur’s Second War World Campaigns
When recalled to active duty to command American soldiers in the Philippines during WWII, MacArthur abandoned a military plan that called for American forces to retreat to Bataan in preparation of a Japanese assault, where they would be forced to defend themselves until assistance came. On the beach, he foolishly thought to halt the aggressive and disciplined Japanese troops. When war broke out in the Philippines, he quickly returned to his previous fighting strategy.
Because of instructions from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, MacArthur regretfully left his combat troops in the Philippines for Australia before the US defenses were surrendered and destroyed by the invading Japanese forces during the hard battle. Because the Allied plan prioritized the Europe Theater, MacArthur was dissatisfied and resentful of having to share the Pacific Theater with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. As the overall commander of the Southwest Pacific, MacArthur successfully led a joint Australian and American force against the Japanese army, eventually retaking the islands that Japan had captured at the start of the war.
The war resulted in the re-conquest of the Philippines from October 1944 to July 1945. The Japanese surrendered to the US government while he was preparing military preparations for the invasion of Japan, after seeing the catastrophic force of the atomic bombs unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
MacArthur’s Japan and Korean Leadership
After being named supreme commander of the Allied forces, MacArthur accepted the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. He demilitarized Japan’s authority and pursued extensive social, economic, and political policy changes to liberalize the whole country during the Allied occupation. Some American liberals praised him in 1948, but his genuine campaign for the Republican presidential nomination failed to gain traction, owing in part to his political ultra-conservatism.
When communist North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the United States joined the fight with the help of the United Nations. MacArthur was appointed UN commander, and he quickly deployed American occupation troops into Korea from Japan. He had enough troops by September to launch an aggressive campaign. His troops pushed the North Korean invaders out of South Korea and chased them to the Chinese border after a spectacular and daring amphibious assault at Inchon.
When China’s leadership launched fresh hostilities by deploying its elite soldiers into Korea in late October, MacArthur’s army had essentially won the war. MacArthur intended to turn the small struggle into a larger confrontation with communist China. MacArthur lambasted his civilian and military superiors’ actions in a letter made public by a conservative Republican lawmaker. General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of his responsibilities by President Harry S. Truman in April 1951 as a result of his activities against his superiors.
Macarthur’s Retirement Years
In New York City, MacArthur was greeted by a raucous and joyful ticker-tape procession. Many Americans greeted him like a renowned Roman Caesar coming home after a victorious war overseas. To Congress, he delivered his famous “old warriors never die” address. He went on to give the ke
He was chairman of the Remington Rand Corporation throughout his retirement years. MacArthur was a skilled soldier who played significant roles in American military history for approximately 35 years, inspiring strong emotions in both his detractors and fans. Finally, MacArthur was a gifted communicator, and his ideas and legacy are summed up in his famous “duty, honor, country” address to West Point cadets just before his death. He died in Washington, D.C. on April 5, 1964.
Related Sources: Axelrod, Alan, Ph.D.; World War I; Alpha Books; 2000. Bard, Mitchell G., Ph.D.; World War II; Alpha Books; 2000. Hall, Timothy C., M.A.; World History; Alpha Books; 2008. Mann, Robert T.; The Cold War; Alpha Books; 2002. McManus, John C., Ph.D.; U.S. Military History; Wiley Publishing, Inc.; 2008.