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General Of The Army Douglas MacArthur HonGCB MacArthur had no middle name, though some Internet sources variously ascribe him a middle initial of "A", "B", "C", "D", "M", or "S". An archivist at the MacArthur Memorial asserts that MacArthur did wear a monogrammed handkerchief with a middle initial of "A", possibly chosen to indicate his father.( January 26 1880 – April 5 1964 ), was an American general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army . He was a Chief Of Staff Of The United States Army during the 1930s and later played a prominent role in the Pacific Theater of World War II , receiving the Medal Of Honor . He was designated to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945, and when that was no longer necessary he officially accepted their surrender on September 2 , 1945 . MacArthur oversaw the Occupation Of Japan from 1945 to 1951 and is credited for implementing far-ranging Democratic changes. He led the United Nations Command forces defending South Korea in 1950–1951 against North Korea 's invasion. MacArthur was removed from command by President Harry S Truman in April 1951 for Insubordination relating to his failure to follow presidential directives. He is credited with the military dictum, "In war, there is no substitute for victory." MacArthur fought in three major wars ( World War I , World War II , Korean War ) and was one of only five men ever to rise to the Rank of General Of The Army . EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Douglas MacArthur was born in Arthur MacArthur, Jr. , a recipient of the Medal Of Honor , and Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur of Norfolk, Virginia . Douglas MacArthur was the grandson of jurist and politician Arthur MacArthur, Sr. He was Baptized at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock on May 16 , 1880 . In his memoir ''Reminiscences'', MacArthur wrote that his first memory was the sound of the bugle, and that he had learned to "ride and shoot even before I could read or write—indeed, almost before I could walk and talk." MacArthur's father was posted to ), where he became an excellent student. MacArthur entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1898 (accompanied by his mother, who occupied a hotel suite overlooking the grounds of the Academy). An outstanding cadet, he graduated first in his 93-man class in 1903. For his prowess in sports, military training, and academic pursuit he was awarded the coveted title of the "First Captain Of The Corps Of Cadets."1 Only two other students in the history of West Point surpassed his achievements ( Robert E. Lee being one). MacArthur became a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers . During his time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , as an engineering officer, he received a poor performance rating because of his dislike for his assigned duties. This changed when he was reassigned to serve as an '' Aide-de-camp '' to his father, the appointed Governor General when the Philippines were a U.S. possession. From 1904 to 1914, MacArthur was assigned to engineering duties in the Philippines, Panama , and the United States. PANCHO VILLA EXPEDITION MacArthur distinguished himself with several acts of personal bravery in the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916–1917, including a railroad chase back to American lines, for which he was highly decorated. For these achievements, he was reassigned duty to the Army General Staff and put in charge of dealing with the National Guard Bureau within the War Department. In early 1917, prior to U.S. entry into World War I, MacArthur was elevated two grades in rank from major to full colonel and was asked to mobilize the Guard units for potential overseas war. WORLD WAR I During World War I MacArthur served in France as chief of staff of the 42nd ("Rainbow") Division . Upon his promotion to Brigadier General he became the commander of the 84th Infantry Brigade. A few weeks before the war ended, he became division commander. During the war, MacArthur received two Distinguished Service Crosses, seven Silver Stars, a Distinguished Service Medal, and two Purple Hearts. Douglas MacArthur made it his policy to "lead... men from the front". Because of this policy, and the fact that he usually refused to wear a gas mask while the rest of his men would, he had respiratory problems the rest of his life. Still, he was the most decorated officer of the war, and General Charles T. Menoher once said that he was the "greatest fighting man" in the army. However, because of his risktaking, he was also taken to task at times by his superior officers, including General John "Black Jack" Pershing , the American Expeditionary Force commander, who was very concerned about his best field commander. MacArthur, however, felt that he was being singled out because of his heroics and became hypersensitive to Pershing in later years because of his being "chewed out". POST WORLD WAR I MacArthur had a difficult time finding a full-time position in the Army, like many World War I officers. This devastated him. However, he was permitted to retain his war-time rank, unlike many others who reverted to their lesser permanent ranks. He used all of his father's connections as well as his own in his search for a suitable assignment. One offer included becoming military attaché to the Bureau Of Indian Affairs . He kept his rank after the war primarily because of the support of Army Chief Of Staff General Peyton March . In 1919 MacArthur became Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which had become out of date in many respects and was much in need of reform. MacArthur ordered drastic changes in the tactical, athletic and disciplinary systems; he modernized the curriculum, adding liberal arts, government and economics courses. In 1922, General Of The Armies John Pershing became Army Chief of Staff, and MacArthur found that his career was going to take a turn, as he was expected to perform overseas duty. From 1922 to 1930, MacArthur served two tours of duty in the Philippines, the second as commander of the Philippine Department (1928–1930); he also served two tours as commander of corps areas in the states. In 1925, he was promoted to major general, the youngest officer of that rank at the time, and served on the Court Martial that convicted Brigadier General Billy Mitchell . In 1928, he headed the U.S. Olympic Committee for the Amsterdam Games . MARRIAGES General MacArthur was married twice. His first marriage was to Mrs. Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brookson on February 14 , 1922 , the divorced wife of Walter Brooks, Jr., and stepdaughter of Edward T. Stotesbury, a wealthy Philadelphia banker. She obtained a divorced from him in 1929 on the ground that he had failed to support her. She later married Lionel Atwill and died in August 1973. (Her brother James H.R. Cromwell was the husband of Doris Duke ) MacArthur was married to Jean Marie Faircloth of Murfreesboro, Tenn., April 30, 1937. She was born December 28 , 1898 in Nashville, Tennessee and died January 22 , 2000 ), and was a socialite and philanthropist. She attended Ward-Belmont College . They remained married until the general's death in 1964. In her later years she often gave speeches on her late husband's military career. She died at the age of 101 of natural causes on in New York City . Their only child, Arthur, was born in Manila on Feb. 21, 1938. Arthur graduated from Columbia University in 1961. BONUS ARMY His most controversial act came in 1932, when Hoover ordered him to disperse the " Bonus Army " of veterans who were in the capital protesting against the government. MacArthur was criticized for using Tear Gas , tanks, cavalry with sabers drawn, and infantry with fixed bayonets to disperse the protesters. According to MacArthur, the demonstration had been taken over by Communists and Pacifists with, he claimed, only "one man in 10 being veterans." Two veterans were fatally shot, two infants died of gas asphyxiation, and hundreds were injured. CHIEF OF STAFF President Franklin D. Roosevelt renewed MacArthur's appointment as Chief of Staff during the Great Depression . By the time MacArthur finished his tour as Chief of Staff in October 1935, the army ranked 16th in size among the world's armies, with 13,000 officers and 126,000 enlisted men. MacArthur's main programs included the development of new mobilization plans, the establishment of a mobile general headquarters air force, and a four-army reorganization which improved administrative efficiency. He supported the New Deal by enthusiastically operating the Civilian Conservation Corps (although, as an outspoken reactionary, he often had bitter disagreements with the New Dealers). He brought along many talented mid-career officers, including George C. Marshall , and Dwight D. Eisenhower . However, MacArthur made enemies of many members of the Roosevelt administration and clashed with the President at times, because of his strong opinions. Following his retirement, he reverted to his permanent grade of major general and accepted an offer in the Philippines. FIELD MARSHAL OF THE PHILIPPINE ARMY When the . The palace has been the home of the Spanish Governor General, the American Governor General and all Philippine Presidents to the present day. In addition, MacArthur was given the rank of "Field Marshal Of The Philippine Army" (and is the senior officer on the rolls of the Philippine Army today—he is also the only American military officer to hold the rank of field marshal). It was decided to house MacArthur in a suite at the world-famous Manila Hotel. The hotel was owned by the Philippine government. It was on Manila Bay across the park from the Army and Navy Club, MacArthur's favorite haunt. It was conveniently near the United States embassy. Government accountants decided that the best way to handle the cost of the suite was to make MacArthur a hotel employee entitled to housing. MacArthur was given the honorary title of "General Manager." MacArthur ignored the honorary status and took control of hotel management while he lived there. The MacArthur Suite still exists in the hotel. Although Manila was one of the cities most devastated by Japanese bombs in World War II, the hotel remained intact. MacArthur's suite was occupied by the highest ranking military officer in the islands. MacArthur gave the same order to American pilots when the Philippines were retaken. MacArthur heavily invested in Philippine mining and industry. Before the Philippine National Bank in New York City closed after the Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor , MacArthur was able to sell all of his holdings and convert all of his Peso s to Dollars . Among MacArthur's assistants as Military Adviser to the Commonwealth of the Philippines was Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Some years later, Eisenhower was asked if he knew MacArthur. He replied, "Know him? I studied dramatics under him for seven years!") When MacArthur retired from the U.S. Army in 1937 , his rank for retirement purposes again became that of a general, and he was made a Field Marshal of the Philippine Army by President Quezon. In July 1941 Roosevelt recalled him to active duty in the U.S. Army as a major general and named him commander of United States Armed Forces In The Far East promoting him to a lieutenant general the following day. In December, he became a four star general yet again when the Japanese attacked across a wide front in the Pacific. WORLD WAR II See Also: World War II After the United States entered World War II, MacArthur became Allied commander in the Philippines. He "courted controversy" on several occasions, especially when he over-ruled his air commander, General Lewis H. Brereton , who had requested permission to launch air attacks by the U.S. Far East Air Force (FEAF) against Japanese bases on nearby Taiwan , in keeping with a prewar plan. MacArthur refused, contrary to his express orders,Costello, ''Days of Infamy''Manchester, ''American Caesar'' and instead demanded the planes be moved to save them from Japanese attacks; half, while refueling, were caught and destroyed,Caidin, ''Ragged, Rugged Warriors'' the prelude to a Japanese Invasion . Some discredit Brereton's account of these events, and Geoffrey Perret's biography, ''Old Soldiers Never Die'', lays out the case for negligence on the part of mid-level officers, who simply preferred the scenery at Clark Air Base. Others, such as biographer Alan Schom , claim that MacArthur secluded himself for several hours after being notified of the Pearl Harbor attack and refused to meet with or authorize Brereton to disperse the U.S. planes.Alan Schom, "The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War 1941–1943. One of MacArthur's biggest mistakes was the defense of Luzon. The General Staff had before the war determined that defense was impractical. So, the plan for an invasion in force by the Japanese was to execute an orderly pull back of all forces (with their supplies) to the impregnable fortress on the Bataan peninsula. MacArthur, however, when faced with the Japanese invasion, threw out the plan because he thought he could defeat the Japanese on the field. The Japanese, though, repeatedly Outflanked his forces by taking to the sea and skipping around them. Eventually, the U.S. forces fled to the Bataan fortress without the supplies they needed. After a resistance lasting many months, they were forced to surrender because they simply ran out of food. Despite MacArthur's defense of his decisions prior to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and the public face put his retreat, criticism of his actions followed him throughout the war. For example, in 1945, U.S. President Harry S Truman , contemplating a final invasion of Japan, wrote: Mr. Prima Donna, if you don't think Hobie is really beastly, you are not a beast. Brass Hat, Five Star MacArthur. He's worse than the Cabots and the Lodges —they at least talked with one another before they told God what to do. Mac tells God right off. It's a very great pity we have stuffed shirts like that in key positions. I don't see why in hell Roosevelt didn't order Wainwright home and let MacArthur be a martyr. We'd have had a real General and a fighting man if we had Wainwright and not a play actor and a Bunco man such as we have now.Michael Schaller, MacArthur's headquarters during the Philippines campaign of 1941–1942 was on the island fortress of Corregidor ; his single trip to the front lines in Bataan led to the disparaging moniker and ditty, "Dugout Doug." Nevertheless, MacArthur's fortress was clearly marked and was the target of Japanese air attacks, until Manuel Quezon cautioned MacArthur "not to subject himself to danger." In March 1942, as Japanese forces tightened their grip on the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to relocate to Melbourne , Australia , after Quezon had already left. With his wife, four-year-old son, and a select group of advisers and subordinate military commanders, MacArthur at last fled the Philippines on '' PT 41 '' commanded by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley , and successfully evaded an intense Japanese search for him. in March 1942.]] MacArthur reached Mindanao on March 13 and boarded a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber three days later; on March 17 , he arrived at Batchelor Airfield in Australia's Northern Territory , about 60 miles (100 km) south of Darwin , before flying to Alice Springs where he took The Ghan Railway through the Australian Outback to Adelaide . His famous speech, in which he said "I came out of Bataan and I shall return", was made at Terowie , South Australia , on March 20 . During this period, President Quezon decorated MacArthur with the Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star . For his leadership of the defense of the Philippines, MacArthur was awarded the Medal Of Honor . Arthur and Douglas MacArthur are the first father and son to be awarded a Medal of Honor. They remained the only pair until 2001 when Theodore Roosevelt was awarded one posthumously for his service during the Spanish American War . Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. had won one for his service during World War II. MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA). Australian Prime Minister John Curtin put MacArthur in command of the Australian military, which — following the isolation of the Philippines — was numerically larger than MacArthur's American forces. The Allied forces under his command included a small number of personnel from the Netherlands East Indies and other countries. One of MacArthur's first tasks was to reassure Australians, who feared a Japanese invasion. The fighting at this time was predominantly in and around New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies . On July 20 , 1942 , SWPA headquarters was moved to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , taking over the AMP Insurance Society Building (later known as MacArthur Central). Australian successes at the Battle Of Milne Bay and the Kokoda Track Campaign came in late 1942, the first victories by Allied land forces anywhere against the Japanese. When it was reported the U.S. 32nd Division , an inexperienced National Guard unit, had proved incompetent in the Allied Offensive Against Buna And Gona , the major Japanese Beachhead s in northeastern New Guinea , MacArthur told U.S. I Corps commander, Robert L. Eichelberger , to assume direct control of Allied operations: Bob, I'm putting you in command at Buna. Relieve Harding ... I want you to remove all officers who won't fight. Relieve Regiment al and Battalion commanders; if necessary, put sergeants in charge of battalions and corporals in charge of Companies ... Bob, I want you to take Buna, or not come back alive ... And that goes for your chief of staff, too. The Allied land forces commander, General Thomas Blamey , did not want the U.S. 41st Division , another inexperienced National Guard unit, to reinforce the Gona assault, and requested instead that the Australian 21st Brigade be sent, as "he knew they would fight".Ham, "Kokoda" and Brune, "A Bastard of a Place" Nevertheless, a regiment of the 41st Division was sent to Gona. In March 1943 , the Joint Chiefs Of Staff approved MacArthur's grand strategy, known as Operation Cartwheel , which aimed to capture the major Japanese base at Rabaul by taking strategic points to use as forward bases. During 1944 this was modified to bypass Rabaul and let the forces there "wither on the vine," Initially, the majority of his land forces were Australian, but increasing numbers of U.S. military forces arrived in the theater, including Marines , the Sixth Army (Alamo Force), and later the Eighth Army . In addition, he drew in significant numbers of Submarine s, deployed on so-called "guerrilla submarine" missions,Adamson and Dissette, ''Guerrilla Submarines'' and away from attacks on Japanese Commerce .Blair, ''Silent Victory'' MacArthur's use of air power during the New Guinea Campaign is considered by many historians as the first harnessing of air power to influence land warfare. His advancement of land forces up the 1,500 mile (2,400 km) coast was sequenced specifically on terrain selected for its ability to be made into landing strips for the tactical support aircraft. By advancing in leaps always within the range of his fighter-bombers (typically P-38 Lightning s), he could maintain air superiority over his land operations. This provided critical close air support (bombing of enemy positions) and also denied the enemy of sea and airborne resupply, effectively cutting the Japanese forces off as they were under attack. Modern land warfare is based on this concept, first perfected by MacArthur's chief of air forces, USAAF Gen George Kenney . Perret, Geoffrey. Old Soldiers Never Die: The Life and Legend of Douglas MacArthur. Random House: 1996. ISBN 0-679-42882-8 Manchester, ''American Caesar'' Allied forces under MacArthur's command Landed At Leyte Island , on October 20 , 1944 , fulfilling MacArthur's vow to return to the Philippines. They consolidated their hold on the archipelago in the Battle Of Luzon after heavy fighting, and despite a massive Japanese naval counterattack in the Battle Of Leyte Gulf . With the reconquest of the islands, MacArthur moved his headquarters to Manila, where he announced his Plan For The Invasion Of Japan in late 1945. The invasion was preempted by the Atomic Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki , and in September 1945 MacArthur received the Formal Japanese Surrender , which ended World War II. MacArthur was promoted to the new rank of General Of The Army on December 18 , 1944 . His first set of 5-star General of the Army insignia was made in December 1944 by a Filipino jeweler from melted-down silver coins from the U.S., Philippines, United Kingdom , Australia and the Netherlands , the countries that had troops under his command at the time. Philippine President Sergio Osmeña also decorated him with the Philippines' highest military award, the Medal Of Valor . POST-WORLD WAR II JAPAN See Also: Occupied Japan ]] MacArthur was ordered on August 29 to exercise authority through the Japanese government machinery, including Emperor Hirohito .James 2:783 Some believe MacArthur may have made his greatest contribution to history in the next five and a half years, as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. However, some historians criticize his work to exonerate Emperor Showa and all members of the imperial family implicated in the war such as Prince Chichibu , Prince Asaka , Prince Takeda and Prince Higashikuni from criminal prosecutions.John Dower, ''Embracing defeat'', 1999, Herbert Bix, ''Hirohito and the making of modern Japan'', 2000 As soon as November 26 1945 , MacArthur confirmed to admiral Mitsumasa Yonai that the emperor's abdication would not be necessary. Dower, ibid. p.323 MacArthur exonerated Hirohito and ignored the advice of many members of the imperial family and Japanese intellectuals who publicly asked for the abdication of the Emperor and the implementation of a regency. For example, Prince Mikasa (Takahito), Hirohito's youngest brother, even stood up in a meeting of the private council, in February 1946, and urged his brother to take responsibility for defeat while the well-known poet Tatsuji Miyoshi wrote an essay in the magazine ''Shinchô'' titled "The Emperor should abdicate quickly."Dower, ibid. p.321, 322. According to historian Herbert Bix, "MacArthur and Bonner Fellers had worked out their own approach to occupying and reforming Japan." Herbert Bix,''Hirohito and the making of modern Japan'',p. 544 "MacArthur, in short, formulated no new policy toward the Emperor; he merely continued the one in effect during the last year of the Pacific war, then threw out its implications as circumstances changed." Ibid., p. 545 The plan, code-named "Operation Blacklist", turned on separating Hirohito from the militarists, retaining him as a figurehead and using his image to bring about a transformation of the Japanese people. Bix p. 545 According to Bix, "months before the Tokyo Tribunal commenced, Mac Arthur's highest subordinates were working to attribute ultimate responsibility for Pearl Harbor to Hideki Tojo "Bix, ibid., p.585 Citing the debates between Truman, Eisenhower and MacArthur, Bix argues that "immediately on landing in Japan, Bonner Fellers went to work to protect Hirohito from the role he had played during and at the end of the war." and "allowed the major war criminal suspects to coordinate their stories so that the Emperor would be spared from indictment"ibid., p.583 According to John Dower, "This successful campaign to absolve the Emperor of war responsibility knew no bounds. Hirohito was not merely presented as being innocent of any formal acts that might make him culpable to indictment as a war criminal. He was turned into an almost saintly figure who did not even bear moral responsibility for the war." "With the full support of MacArthur's headquarters, the prosecution functioned, in effect, as a defense team for the emperor."Dower, ibid. p. 326. For his admirers, MacArthur's deeper feelings toward defeated Japan can be readily seen in the photos of the surrender ceremony where the flag of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794–1858) was prominently displayed. A descendant of the Massachusetts Perry family and a cousin of the commodore, MacArthur must have seen himself as a second "opener" of Japan rather than the nation's conqueror. MacArthur and his GHQ staff helped a devastated Japan rebuild itself, institute a democratic government, and chart a course that made Japan one of the world's leading industrial powers. The U.S. was firmly in control of Japan to oversee its reconstruction, and MacArthur was effectively the interim leader of Japan from 1945 until 1948. In 1946, MacArthur's staff drafted a new Constitution that renounced war and reduced the Emperor to a figurehead; this constitution remains in use in Japan to this day. He also pushed the Japanese Diet into adopting a decentralization plan to break apart the large Japanese companies ( Zaibatsu ) and foster the first Japanese labor unions. These reconstruction plans alarmed many in the U.S. Defense and State Departments, believing they conflicted with the prospect of Japan (and its industrial capacity) as a bulwark against the spread of communism in Asia.Michael Schaller, ''The American Occupation of Japan'' (Oxford, 1985) Some of MacArthur's reforms, such as his labor laws, were rescinded in 1948 when his unilateral control of Japan was ended by the increased involvement of the State Department. MacArthur handed over power to the newly-formed Japanese government in 1949 and remained in Japan until relieved by President Truman on April 11 , 1951 . Truman replaced SCAP leader MacArthur with General Matthew Ridgway of the U.S. Army. By 1952, Japan was a sovereign nation under the democratic constitution MacArthur had pushed for, which had been in effect since 1947. In late 1945, Allied military commissions tried 4,000 Japanese officers for '' (accessed April 21, 2006) At the end of the war MacArthur secretly granted immunity to the physicians of Unit 731 in exchange for providing America with their research on biological weapons. As a result, only one reference to Japanese experiments with "poisonous serums" on Chinese civilians was heard by the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal in August of 1946. This was actioned by David Sutton, assistant to the Chinese prosecutor. MacArthur's proposed strategy for winning the Cold War was to adopt a "Fortress America" defense strategy focused on protecting the Western Hemisphere similar to the policies advocated by Isolationists such as Robert Taft , combined with a policy of Foreign Aid to all countries resisting Communism (in Asia as well as Europe). Like Senator Taft, Gen. MacArthur strongly opposed NATO . KOREAN WAR See Also: Korean War In 1945, as part of the surrender of Japan, the United States agreed with the "), and the Soviet-aligned and communist Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (generally referred to as "North Korea"). After the surprise attack by the DPRK military on June 25 , 1950 , started the Korean War, the United Nations General Assembly authorized a United Nations (UN) force to help South Korea. MacArthur led the UN coalition defense and later counteroffensive, noted for a daring and overwhelmingly successful Amphibious landing behind North Korean lines in the Battle Of Inchon . The maneuver successfully outflanked the North Korean army, forcing it to retreat northward in disarray. United Nations forces pursued the DPRK forces, eventually approaching the Yalu River border with China . On November 19 , 1950 , with the DPRK forces largely destroyed, Chinese military forces crossed the Yalu River, routing the UN forces and forcing them on a long retreat. Calling the Chinese intervention the beginning of "an entirely new war," MacArthur repeatedly requested authorization to strike supplies, troops, and airplanes in Manchuria with Conventional Weapons and also requested permission to deploy Nuclear Weapons in North Korea. The Truman administration feared that such an action would greatly escalate the war into full-scale conflict with China and possibly draw the Soviet Union into the conflict. Angered by Truman's desire to maintain a "limited war," MacArthur began issuing statements to the press, warning them of a crushing defeat. In March 1951, after a UN counterattack commanded by ) read a letter from MacArthur that made public the views he had been pressing on Washington, but Truman decided to wait for the Joint Chiefs. By April the Joint Chiefs decided MacArthur had to go for military reasons—they had lost confidence in his strategy James 3:591, 594–595, whereupon Truman moved. As Bernstein has argued, MacArthur never challenged the constitutional separation of powers. Barton J. Bernstein, ''The Truman Administration and the Korean War," in Michael J. Lacy, ed. ''The Truman Presidency'' (1989) p 436; James 3:589–599. Bradley, the JCS chairman, concluded that MacArthur "has stretched but had not violated any JCS directives." Omar Bradley, ''A General's Life'' (1982) p 634 On April 11 , 1951 , President Truman relieved General MacArthur of his military command, leading to a storm of controversy. General Matthew B. Ridgway replaced MacArthur. The war continued at a stalemate for two additional years with thousands of casualties near the 38th parallel. RETURN TO AMERICA MacArthur returned to Washington, D.C. (his first time in the continental U.S. in 11 years), where he made his last public appearance in a farewell address to the U.S. Congress , interrupted by thirty ovations. Text and audio In his closing speech, he recalled: "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." On his return from Korea, after his relief by Truman, MacArthur encountered massive public adulation, which aroused expectations that he would run for the presidency as a Republican in the 1952 Election . However, a U.S. Senate Committee investigation of his removal, chaired by Richard Russell , contributed to a marked cooling of the public mood, and hopes for a MacArthur presidential run died away. MacArthur, in ''Reminiscences'', repeatedly stated he had no political aspirations. 1952 TO DEATH In the 1952 Republican presidential nomination contest, MacArthur was not a candidate and instead endorsed Senator Robert Taft of Ohio.James 3: 648–652; rumors were rife Taft offered the vice presidential nomination to MacArthur. Taft did persuade MacArthur to be the keynote speaker at the convention. The speech was not well received. Taft lost the nomination to Dwight Eisenhower; MacArthur was silent during the campaign, which Eisenhower won by a landslide. Once elected, Eisenhower consulted with MacArthur and adopted his suggestion of threatening the use of nuclear weapons to end the war. James 3:653–655. In 1956, U.S. Senator Joseph Martin introduced a proposal to elevate MacArthur to six star rank; however, this caused issues with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the issue died within the U.S. Senate. MacArthur became head of Remington Rand Corporation and spent the remainder of his life in New York . He made a spectacular "sentimental journey" to the Philippines in 1961 , when he was decorated by President Carlos P. Garcia with the Philippine Legion Of Honor , rank of Chief Commander. President John F. Kennedy solicited MacArthur's counsel in 1961. The first of two meetings was shortly after the Bay Of Pigs Invasion . MacArthur was extremely critical of the Pentagon and its military advice to Kennedy. MacArthur also cautioned the young President to avoid a U.S. military build-up in Vietnam , pointing out domestic problems should be given a much greater priority. MacArthur and his second wife, Jean Faircloth, spent the last years of their life together in the penthouse of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel . After his death Jean continued to live in the penthouse until her death. The couple are entombed together in downtown Norfolk, Virginia ; their burial site is in the rotunda of a memorial building/museum (formerly the Norfolk City Hall) dedicated to his memory, and there is a major shopping mall (MacArthur Center) named for him across the street from the memorial. According to the museum, General MacArthur chose to be buried in Norfolk because of his mother's ancestral ties to the city. MacArthur wanted his family to remember him for more than being a soldier. He said, "By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, 'Our Father who art in heaven." In Emerson Roy West, ''Vital Quotations (1968)'' p.118 MacArthur's nephew, Douglas MacArthur II (a son of his brother Arthur) served as a diplomat for several years, including the post of Ambassador to Japan and several other countries. In 1945, MacArthur gave his treasured Gold Castles insignia, a personal possession, to his chief engineer, Major General Leif J. Sverdrup . They are currently worn by the Chief Of Engineers as a tradition. LEGACY Places named after MacArthur
Controversies MacArthur is viewed as a controversial figure. His handling of Japan after World War II led to Japan's economic transformation and was generally applauded. However, the fact he chose to protect some major leaders of the showa regime in World War II is sometimes criticized. Also, his actions during the Korean War remain highly controversial. MacArthur had a son, born Arthur MacArthur IV, who changed his surname so he could live anonymously as a saxophonist and artist in the New York area. Some claim that he declined to confer medals on to several US Marine Corps Units in theater in the Philippines by simply stating "The Marines have enough medals." The very fact that his air force commander was not granted permission to attack forward Japanese Air Installations is very controversial as are actions by several members of his staff. A clear example was the continued resistance of men under Col. Wendell Fertig, who continued the fight against the Japanese Occupation. While Fertig would lead a mixed force of 40,000 Filipino and American troops, MacArthur and his staff made sure he was left from most if not all of the credit for successfully operating the guerilla force in the face of the Japanese hold of the Philippines. Colonel Fertig for his part would leave the US Army later yet be a great mentor to members of the US Army Special Forces, the Green Berets. MacArthur is a controversial figure in Australia because of his performance in the Kokoda Track Campaign and Battle Of Buna-Gona , and his disrespect for Australian troops at the time.2
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