When I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words.’

From remarks by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to West Point cadets at the United States Military Academy on May 12, 1962:

[The American soldier] needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy’s breast. But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage. . . .

Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men’s minds; but serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation’s war-guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiator in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded, and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom, of right and justice. . . .

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation’s destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.



This does not mean that you are war mongers.

On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”


link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/n..._opin_pos_6#cxrecs_s

That is one of my favorite speaches.

However, I would not use the word 'modest' in describing MacArthur. He had delusions of godhood and seemed to care about his reputation and political ambitions above all else. . .

Yeah, MacArthur talked a good game and gave good speeches but he was kinda a piece of shit too.

That speech was part of a basic training video we got to purchase at Fort Jackson, it was part military propaganda part clips of us going through Basic and music with that speech narrated throughout.

One major accomplishment was the occupation of Japan after the war. The Japanese were treated well and the country was rebuilt. He certainly got into it with Truman and sought the limelight more than a guy like Patton. All General Officers have their issues. The retired ones have been earning extra with the war in Ukraine and you can certainly gain some idea of their competence.

Ditto on the MacArthur personality opinions.

He was as unprepared at the beginning of the war as anyone and managed to not have it affect his reputation too much. Left his other Generals in charge of the Philippine surrender and the death march and he left for Australia and safety. Then acted like the tough guy, firing other commanders early on when they were under-supplied and under-supported because they weren't making the progress he demanded.

His greatest moves were island hopping instead of the Marines approach and his post war handling of Japan.

I never fail to find it odd that when General of the Army MacArthur’s career comes up for discussion so many people focus primarily on his personality and failings, mostly trivial. In comparison we hear of how someone saw a man wearing a war veteran’s hat and paid for his coffee or lunch without knowing anything about the person except that he had the hat. I’m not criticizing such gestures, but to ignore the record of someone like MacArthur in favor of being able to emphasize that he wasn’t perfect is just bizarre.

The reason for that sort of thing is of course because he was so important and influential, and it feels so good to say, “Yeah, but ….” Well, while we’re at it, why stop with him? I’m currently reading (yet another) account of General Patton’s command in North Africa, and was reminded that not only was he highly egotistical, but a first class dick as well. Imagine being fined more than a month’s pay for not having a helmet on with the chin strap fastened while working far behind the front lines. Even General of the Army Omar Bradley thought Patton carried his obsession for appearance as a measure of discipline to an unreasonable extreme. A general who dictated that officers wear neckties in combat would probably have apoplexy if he saw how soldiers are permitted to dress today.

And on the subject of other generals, historians who no longer must treat World War II leaders as military saints point out that most of them had various flaws. Bradley was evidently a much nicer and more modest guy than MacArthur or Patton, but as author Rick Atkinson makes clear, he hardly walked on the military waters, and the same was true of virtually all of the other top commanders.

Well, the more I read about MacArthur the more I dislike him. He INSISTED the US retake the Philipines, because of his 'promise' to return. Manila was devastated, and over 100,000 Philipinos died in that city alone. Manila was flattened in the fighting.

But, hey, he fulfilled his promise.

He was an egotistical tyrant who wanted control of ALL US/Allied forces in the Pacific, and wanted to invade Japan so he could out-do Ike as a ground commander. He refused to prosecute Japanese war criminals to anywhere near the extent the Nuremburg Trials held German war criminals accountable. Countless Japanese murderers were let go and served in government, but hey, the Japanese liked MacArthur as their de facto emperor. . .

When he was losing the Philipines, his men called him 'Dugout Doug,' since he hid in his bunker while the men fought and died. Giving that man the Medal of Honor was a travesty. He did nothing to earn it, and it was nothing but a political gesture.

To point out his flaws does not mean the other commanders were perfect. Now, I freely admit I am biased against him. However, I believe my biases are based on historical facts.

He was fired by Truman for a reason.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:
When he was losing the Philipines, his men called him 'Dugout Doug,' since he hid in his bunker while the men fought and died.

I believe that American Caesar disputed that claim. It was there or another work that pointed out that his staff was frequently concerned that he exposed himself too much at the time. And lest we not understand, exposing oneself to physical danger in combat is not what senior commanders are paid to do. Although I fully agree that the award of the Medal of Honor was a purely political measure by FDR, he was nominated for the medal twice before, including long before his was a household name. He was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (#2) twice and the Silver Star (#3) seven(!) times for valor going back to World War I. It can also probably be argued that some of those awards were probably in part due to his rank at the time and different standards, but there were countless other officers who did not receive even a single comparable award.
To call him a coward is just silly ignorance.