Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 at Little
Rock, Arkansas, USA. He was one of the
three sons of Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Mary Pinkney Hardy. Arthur MacArthur Jr., Douglas’ father, was a hero
of the American Revolution and an American general. At the end of the 19th century
Arthur MacArthur Jr. was sent to the Philippines after the Spain ceded it to
the United States in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. He was later
named as the Governor General of the Philippines in 1900. His clash with the
civilian governor, William Howard Taft, made his position short lived. Taft
later became a President of the United States.
Scholastic
achievements and early career
Douglas MacArthur enrolled at the West Texas Military School
and graduated as a valedictorian. He further pursued his study at the United
States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated as the first captain.
He was also at the top of his class of 93 cadets in 1903.
After his graduation at West Point, Douglas MacArthur was
commissioned in the Army Corps of Engineers. He was assigned in the
Philippines, re-assigned to the United States and was posted to Europe during
World War 1. He was the Superintendent of West Point from 1919-22. In 1925 he
became the youngest major general ever to be promoted in that rank at the age
of 44. That record was passed several years later by William Westmoreland who
attained that rank at age 40. In 1930 General MacArthur became the US Army
Chief of Staff, a position he held for five years which was longer than any of
his predecessors. He retired from the US Army in 1937.
Services to the
fledgling Philippine Commonwealth
In 1935, the Philippines was given a commonwealth status by
the United States. It was a prelude to giving it full independence after an
interim period. Manuel L. Quezon became the first elected president of the
Philippines. He was a friend of Arthur MacArthur JR. and his son Douglas. To
organize the army, Quezon tapped the services of Gen. Douglas MacArthur as his
adviser on military affairs. He also made him as a field marshal, a status
which was confirmed by President Franklin Roosevelt. When MacArthur retired
from the army, President Quezon still retained his services as a military
advisor in a personal capacity. MacArthur made many innovations to improve the
Philippines Army. He increased the army’s strength as well as its number of
units and proposed for increase of pay. Some of his innovations were however
hampered with lack of funds. He also created the Philippine Military Academy
whose curriculum and training were patterned after that of the West Point.
Marriages and love
affair
During his tour of duty in the United States MacArthur was
married in February 14, 1922 to Louise Cromwell Brooks in her family’s Villa in
Palm Beach, Florida. Their relationship later soured and they separated in 1927.
While in the Philippines, Gen MacArthur had an affair with Isabel Rosario Cooper,
a Scottish-Filipina mestiza and a Philippine movie star. She later lived in an
apartment in Washington D.C. At that time two journalists made a report
critical of MacArthur dispersion of the “Bonus Party” demonstration in
Washington D.C. during the Great Depression.
MacArthur sued the journalists. However, their threat to make Miss
Cooper as one of their witnesses forced him to make an off court settlement and withdrew
the case. Later, General MacArthur met Jean Faircloth. The two married on April
30, 1937 in a civil ceremony. While he was in Manila Louise obtained a divorce
from MacArthur. In Manila, Jean gave birth to a baby boy who was named Arthur
MacArthur IV.
The Fall of Bataan
With the armed conflict in Europe and the looming war with
Japan President Franklin D. Roosevelt recalled General MacArthur to active duty
with a rank of major general to command the US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE). The
next day he was promoted to lieutenant general. On 07 December 1941, the
Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As a result 188 aircrafts on the ground
were destroyed and 159 others were damaged.
In addition 4 ships were sunk and 2,335 servicemen were killed while
1,143 others were wounded. The following
day, December 8, the United States declared war on Japan. On same day the Clark
Air Field in the Philippines was attacked by Japanese planes destroying dozens
of aircrafts on the ground. MacArthur thought that the Japanese could not be
stopped on the beaches and he ordered his American and Filipino troops to consolidate
in Bataan for defense. He declared Manila an “open city” to spare it from
bombardment by the Japanese and avoid huge civilian casualties. In 1942 the
troops at Bataan were overran by the Japanese and General Jonathan Wainwright
the American Commander there was captured. Thousands of Filipino and the
American defenders were later brought by their captors to San Fernando through
a long, forced and torturous travel which was infamously called “Death March”.
Escape to Australia
and the New Guinea campaign
In his headquarters at Corregidor Island off the shore of
Manila General MacArthur received orders from President Roosevelt to go to
Australia. Macarthur, his wife Jean, and son, Arthur, along with his staff on
board 4 PT boats left Corregidor and proceeded to Mindanao. They landed at the
Macabalan wharf in Cagayan de Oro where American soldiers and Filipino
guerillas were waiting to fetch them to Del Monte in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon
where a B17 would fly them to Australia. It was in Australia where MacArthur
made his famous speech that made headlines. “I came through, and I shall
return”, he said.
In Australia MacArthur was made the supreme commander of Southwest
Pacific area. Over there, he successfully directed American, Australian and
British forces in campaigns against the Japanese at Papua and New Guinea.
The return to the
Philippines
Easing Japanese resistance in New Guinea and Malaya,
MacArthur then turned his focus to recapture the Philippines from the Japanese
and fulfill his promise to return. On 20 October 1944, the 6th army
landed in Leyte to engage the Japanese. MacArthur was aboard light cruiser USS
Nashville. Near the beach the ship ran aground and he requested for a landing
craft. But the beach master who was busy with his work did not hear him. McArthur
and his staff disembarked the ship and they had to wade to the shore. Others
who were with him were Carlos P. Romulo and Philippine President Sergio Osmeña
Sr.
After Leyte, the American forces advanced to Mindoro and
then to Luzon. Despite great dangers of his life, General Douglas MacArthur
aboard USS Boise personally oversaw the conduct of the battle despite dangers
of Japanese plane attacks and threat of enemy sniper fires on the shore. Such
an action of a commander was a great morale booster for the fighting troops on
the ground. As the battle raged on the Japanese were gradually dislodged from
their hold on Luzon. Visayas and Mindanao also slowly fell into the hands of
the Americans. From all indications the victory of the allied forces was drawing
near.
The Battle of Manila
Manila was the final battle ground to liberate the
Philippines and deal the Japanese a strategic defeat. To prevent huge civilian
casualties, MacArthur refused to restrict traffic of civilians who clogged the
road in and out of the city. He also ordered his troops to minimize the use of
aerial bombardment if possible. When the American troops entered the city they
freed about 3,000 POWs from the University of Santo Tomas on February 3, 1945.
The Japanese commander Rear Admiral Saji Iwabuchi was determined to fight to the
death. Heavy fighting that lasted for a month ensued between the Japanese and
the Americans and their Filipino allies. In their desperation Japanese soldiers
killed many civilians along the way as they tried to flee from the Americans’
onslaught. They also held civilian hostages who also perished when the
Americans bombarded the enemy positions with artillery, tanks and plane bombs. The
Americans eventually overpowered the Japanese and liberated the city on March
3, 1945. The victory came with a heavy price for the Filipinos. It was
estimated that about 100,000 civilians died during the battle and national
treasures such as historical buildings and important sites were leveled to the
ground. It was estimated that 1,010 Americans were killed and 5,665 were
wounded. On the Japanese side there were about 16,665 killed. After the Second
World War, Manila emerged as the second most devastated city after Warsaw in
Poland.
The rehabilitation of
Japan
After atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese Industrial
cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan tendered its unconditional surrender to
the United States in August 1945. And fighting in Asia stopped. MacArthur the
Supreme Commander of the allied power in Asia accepted the formal surrender of
the Japanese aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Several Japanese
Officers and collaborators were later tried for their war crimes. One of them
was General Tomoyoki Yamashita who was tried in Manila. He was found guilty and
sentenced by the military tribunal. On 23 February 1946, he was hanged in Los
Baños, Laguna.
In the aftermath of the war Japan was occupied by the
Americans and Douglas MacArthur was the one in charge for its reconstruction.
With his power, MacArthur virtually became Japan’s interim ruler. To respect
Japanese sensibilities and restore national unity, he spared the emperor and
his family from investigation relative to the war. He also initiated the
drafting of the new constitution and the implementation of land reform. General
MacArthur’s reconstruction and reformation efforts helped made Japan one of the
leading world economies after the ravages of the war.
The Korean War
In 1950 communist North Korea attacked South Korea, and another
armed conflict erupted. The five-star General MacArthur was again designated as
the Supreme commander of the allied forces. He landed his troops at Inchon and
drove the North Koreans further north. However, thousands of Chinese reinforcement
pushed the allied forces back to the south. MacArthur then wanted to bring the
war deep into China, but President Truman refused because it might escalate the
war. Later MacArthur wrote a letter that a Republican Rep. Joseph William
Martin, Jr. read in congress on April 5, 1951. The letter which was critical of
the administration’s limited war policy prompted President Truman to relieve
MacArthur of his command in April 1951. MacArthur was replaced by General
Matthew Ridgway.
The final years
Living as civilian, MacArthur got himself employed as
Chairman of the Remington Rand Corp. Later his advance age took a toll on his
health. The frail retired General MacArthur along with Jean and Arthur made a “sentimental
journey” back to the Philippines. He was warmly welcomed by President Carlos P.
Garcia who awarded him the Philippine Legion of Honor. In 1962 General MacArthur
was honored by West Point which conferred him the Sylvanus Thayer Award for
outstanding service to the nation. He made a speech with a theme “Honor, Duty,
Country”. In that speech he uttered the unforgettable saying: “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away”.
MacArthur died on April 5, 1964 at Washington D.C. where President Lyndon
Johnson gave him a state funeral.
MacArthur was an
American general and hero who had somehow shaped the course of history of the
Philippines and the world. He affected the lives of many people during the
course his career. Perhaps, the Philippines had a special place in his heart.
It was in Manila, Philippines where his mother died and his son Arthur was
born. Above all, the Philippines was the place where he stayed most while he
built his career as an officer. It was also the place where he fought and won most
of his battles.
Related article:
