Douglas MacArthur was an American general, who commanded Allied troops in the Pacific during World War II, supervised the postwar occupation of Japan, and led United Nations forces during the Korean War.
General MacArthur fortunately has one, and only one, link to our anything but great president, Bill Clinton. MacArthur was born in Little Rock Arkansas, on January 26, 1880. Unlike our cowardly, draft dodging, sexually perverted president, MacArthur was a hero-- far braver than many others who served our country with honor. And speaking of honor, MacArthur lived an honorable and noble life, while Bill Clinton obviously failed to ever learn the meaning of honor-- or care.
MacArthur's father was General Arthur MacArthur (1845-1912), a hero of the American Civil War who was later military governor of the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur graduated with highest honors from the U.S. Military Academy in 1903 and became an engineer officer. Over the next 14 years, MacArthur handled routine assignments, but he reached the rank of general and won numerous honors for his heroism and his leadership of the 42d (Rainbow) Division during WW I.
MacArthur was recalled to active duty to command American troops in the Philippines in July 1941. Although his first strategies and plans were thwarted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, MacArthur led a combined American and Australian force in a series of brilliant victories, gradually retaking the islands seized by Japan at the beginning of the war. MacArthur was at work on plans for the invasion of Japan when the Japanese asked for peace. Appointed supreme commander for the Allied powers, he accepted the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.
When Communist North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the US entered the war with the help of the UN. Named the UN Commander, MacArthur hastily went to work dispatching troops and making plans. In effect, MacArthur had won that war by late November. MacArthur wanted to expand the limited war into a general war against China. But in a letter publicized by a Republican congressman, MacArthur criticized the policy of his civilian and military superiors and advocated change. For this reason, President Harry S. Truman relieved him of his command in April 1951, a regrettable mistake for the US.
MacArthur returned home to a tumultuous welcome. Although he delivered the keynote address at the next Republican presidential convention, his popularity was not enough to gain him the nomination. In retirement, he served as chairman of the board of the Remington Rand Corporation. He died April 5, 1964 in Washington, D.C. A man who inspired extreme emotions among admirers and critics alike, MacArthur was a brilliant soldier who played a crucial role in American military affairs for more than three decades.
