Douglas MacArthur, United States Army General began his career in 1899, served
in three major military conflicts and held the highest military office of the
United States and of the Philippines during that service.
Summary of service = West Point =
June 13, 1899 – appointed as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy, West
Point, New York. 1900: Is the victim of hazing and
becomes involved in a serious scandal where one Cadet is left dead by
upperclassman abuse. During the investigation he implicates only cadets
who were already expelled from West Point or had previously confessed
June 1903 – Graduates first in his class, commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers = Early career =
June 1903: Serves with the 3rd Battalion of Engineers in the Philippine Islands.
1904: Assigned to the California Debris Commission.
April 1904: Promoted to First Lieutenant, becomes acting Chief
Engineering Officer for the Army Pacific Division based in San Francisco,
California October 1904: Reports to Tokyo, Japan to
serve as an aide to his father in the Far East
December 1906: Serves as aide-de-camp to President Theodore Roosevelt
August 1907: Attends the "Engineering School of Application" in Washington,
D.C. February 1908: Assigned as the
Officer-in-Charge, Improvements Commission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 1908: Appointed as Commanding Officer, Company K, 3rd Battalion of
Engineers. Later that year becomes an instructor at the Mounted Service
School, Fort Riley, Kansas April 1909: Becomes Quartermaster for
the 3rd Battalion of Engineers February 1911: Promoted to Captain and
serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the Engineering Depot at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas November 1912: Assigned to the General
Staff Corps, for duty as a Member and Recorder of the Board of Engineering
Troops April 1913: Appointed as Superintendent
of State, War, and Navy Buildings as a member of the General Staff
April 1914: Becomes the Assistant Engineering Officer of the military
expedition to Veracruz, Mexico December 1915: Promoted to Major, serves
as an Engineering Officer on the Army General Staff
August 1917: Advanced to the temporary rank of Colonel in the National Army.
Reports to Camp Mills, Long Island, New York to begin forming the 42nd Division.
= World War I = 1917 – 1918: Becomes Chief of Staff of
the 42nd Division and is credited with naming it the "Rainbow Division". Joins
the American Expeditionary Force bound for France. Departs U.S. for France in
November 1917. June 1918: Appointed a Brigadier General
in the National Army and in August is appointed as Commander of the 84th
Infantry Brigade. Briefly commands the 42nd Division from 10 to 22 November
1918. 1918 – 1919: Receives two Distinguished
Service Crosses and seven Silver Star Ciations for battlefield leadership and
bravery and also is wounded in action and gassed by the enemy. Was known for
personally leading troops into battle, often without a weapon of his own.
Begins to develop a negative relationship with General of the Armies
John Pershing, after feeling that Pershing is wasting the lives of his
troops with bad military tactics. May 1919: Returns to the United States
as a hero, but is distraught over the lack of recognition his Rainbow Division
receives for actions in France. = Inter-war years =
June 12, 1919: Becomes the Superintendent of the United States
Military Academy, West Point. January 20, 1920: Appointed as a
brigadier general in the Regular Army. Is one of the few officers who retain
their wartime rank. Receives a negative evaluation report from Pershing, now
Chief of Staff, who ranks Macarthur 38 out of 45 generals and states that
MacArthur has an "exalted view of himself and should remain in his present
grade for several years". November 1, 1922: Becomes Commanding
General, District of Manila, in the Philippines.
June 29, 1923: While still serving as District of Manila Commander, also
becomes commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade.
November 18, 1924: Assigned as commander of the Philippine Division.
January 17, 1925: Promoted to major general, becoming the youngest two-star
general in the U.S. Army. Returns to the United States to become a corps
commander. May 1, 1925: Assigned as 4th Corps Area
Commander, encompassing the southeastern states with headquarters in Atlanta.
Quickly reassigned as local residents did not welcome MacArthur because his
father was a Union officer during the Civil War.
August 1, 1925 – September 3, 1928: Serves as 3rd Corps Area Commander, with
headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Summer 1928: Leads the United States
Olympic Team to Amsterdam. October 1, 1928: Assigned as the
Commanding General of the Philippine Department, with headquarters in Manila.
October 2, 1930: Becomes the commander of the Ninth Corps Area with
headquarters at the Presidio of San Francisco, California.
November 21, 1930: Appointed by President Hoover as Chief of Staff of
the United States Army and promoted to the rank of general on the same date.
June 1932: Presides over the dispersal of the "Bonus Army", deemed a low point
of his tenure as Army Chief of Staff. October 1935: Completes his tour as
Chief of Staff and declines retirement from the Army. Per Army regulations,
reverts to his permanent rank of Major General and becomes the Chief Military
Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.
December 31, 1937: Retires from the Army at his own request. Placed on the
retired list as a four-star general. 1937 – 1941: Civilian adviser to the
Philippine Government on military matters. Is appointed a Field Marshal in
the Philippine Army, the only American officer in history accorded with that
rank. Begins wearing the "scrambled eggs" cap often associated with him.
April 1937: marries Jean Faircloth. February 21, 1938: Arthur MacArthur IV
is born. = World War II =
July 26, 1941: Recalled to active service in the United States Army as a
Major General. July 27, 1941: Appointed Lieutenant
General in the Army of the United States and becomes Commanding General of
USAFFE. December 1941: Japanese invade the
Philippines. December 18, 1941: promoted to General
in the Army of the United States. December 1941–May 1942; Allied forces
retreat to Bataan and Corregidor February–March 1942: Roosevelt orders
MacArthur to leave the Philippines and base in himself in Australia; on March
20, in Terowie, South Australia, MacArthur promises, "I came out of
Bataan and I shall return." May 1942: MacArthur is appointed Supreme
Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area. Australian Prime Minister John
Curtin gives MacArthur control of the Australian military, which commences the
New Guinea campaign. 1943: MacArthur implements Operation
Cartwheel, the Joint Chiefs of Staff plan to isolate the major Japanese base
at Rabaul. 1943 – 1944: argues with the Joint
Chiefs of Staff regarding reconquest of the Philippine Islands. Chiefs propose
bypass; MacArthur appeals to President Roosevelt.
October 1944: MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines.
U.S forces landed at Leyte and began reconquest of Philippines.
December 1944: Promoted to the newly created rank of General of the Army
becoming second highest ranking active duty officer of the U.S. Army, second
only to George Marshall. 1944 – 1945: Due to logistics issues the
Joint Chiefs decided to invade the Philippine Islands. MacArthur again must
fight to convince his superiors to invade the entire Philippine Islands,
whereas initial plans call for only an invasion of the south. The Joint Chiefs
at last agreed that MacArthur is to invade the Philippine Islands at Leyte
Gulf and strike toward Manila. February 5, 1945: Forces under
MacArthur's command liberate Manila. Summer 1945: in Manila to plan invasions
of Japan in October, 1945. Is stunned by the news of the use of the atomic bomb,
and is quoted as saying that "this apparatus will make men like me
obsolete". September 2, 1945: Presided over the
Japanese surrender ceremony and is appointed military governor of Japanese
home islands. Threatens the Soviet Union with armed conflict should Red Army
soldiers attempt to occupy any part of Japan.
= Occupation of Japan = December 15, 1945: Orders the end of
Shinto as the state religion of Japan 1945 – 1948: Begins sweeping reforms,
drafts a new constitution for Japan, and puts an end to centuries of Emperor
god-worship. = Korean War =
July 8, 1950: Following the invasion of North Korea into South Korea, MacArthur
is named Commander of all United Nations forces in Korea.
July 31, 1950: Travels to Taiwan and conducts diplomacy with Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-Shek September 15, 1950: Leads UN forces at
the Battle of Inchon, seen as one of the greatest military maneuvers in history
October 15, 1950: Meets with President Truman on Wake Island after heavy
disagreements develop regarding the conduct of the Korean War. When meeting
Truman, it is very noticeable that MacArthur does not salute his
Commander-in-Chief but rather offers a handshake. Truman awards MacArthur a
fourth oak leaf cluster on his Distinguished Service Medal.
November – December 1950: With China committed to all-out war against the US
on the Korean peninsula, MacArthur advocates for the same in return against
China but is prohibited. He is outraged when military leaders in Washington
restrict the war to only the Korean theater, meaning that he cannot bomb
even the bridges of the Yalu river over which Chinese troops, supplies, and
material are streaming across. He is further restricted from bombing their
bases in Manchuria. MacArthur expressed his outrage later, saying that "The
order not to bomb the Yalu bridges was the most indefensible and ill-conceived
decision ever forced on a field commander in our nation's history."
April 11, 1951: After several public criticisms of White House policy in
Korea, which were seen as undercutting the Commander-in-Chief's position, Harry
Truman removes MacArthur from command and orders him to return to the United
States. Some suggest Truman may have exchanged MacArthur for a sound nuclear
policy in Korea since he did not trust "Brass Hat MacArthur" with nuclear
weapons. Some disagree with this, however, since MacArthur later came out
against Truman's use of the bomb against Japan and there seems to be no concrete
evidence of a major change in his views. April 19, 1951: At a farewell address
before the United States Congress, MacArthur gives his famous "Old Soldiers
Never Die" speech [1] May 1951: Retires a second time from the
U.S. Army, but is listed as permanently on active duty due to the regulations
regarding those who hold the rank of General of the Army. For administrative
reasons, he is assigned in absentee to the office of the Army Chief of Staff
= Later life = 1952: Allows name to be placed on
primary ballots for Republican nomination, but does not campaign or
announce as a candidate. Senator Robert Taft promises supporters to name
MacArthur as candidate for Vice President, but Taft loses nomination to
Eisenhower. 1955: Is considered for promotion to the
rank of General of the Armies. The promotion does not take place, various
difficulties having arisen. May 12, 1962: Gives famous Duty, Honor,
Country valedictory speech at West Point Active in U.S. Olympic affairs
April 5, 1964: Douglas MacArthur dies of liver and kidney failure following
gallbladder surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C..
Dates of rank In 1955, a bill was in the early stages
of consideration by the United States Congress which would have authorized the
President of the United States to promote Douglas MacArthur to the rank of
General of the Armies. However, because of several complications which would
arise if such a promotion were to take place, the bill was withdrawn.
Awards and decorations During his military career, General
MacArthur was awarded the following decorations from the United States and
other allied nations. The list below is of those medals worn on a military
uniform, and does not include commemorative medals, unofficial
decorations, and non-portable awards. = United States awards =
Decorations Service medals
Badges Combat Infantryman Badge
Command Aviator Badge Army General Staff Identification Badge
Fourteen Overseas Service Bars Expert Marksmanship Badge with rifle and
pistol clasps = Foreign awards =
Orders Knight Grand Cross of the Most
Honourable Order of the Bath Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Belgian Order of the Crown, Grand Cross with Palm
Belgian Order of the Crown, Commander Philippine Legion of Honor, Degree of
Chief Commander Czechoslovakian Military Order of the
White Lion, Grand Cross Polish Virtuti Militari, V Class
Polish Order of Polonia Restituta, Grand Cross
Grand Cross Netherlands Order of Orange-Nassau with Swords
Yugoslavian Order of the White Eagle, Grand Cross
Japanese Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers
Korean Taegeuk Cordon of the Order of Military Merit
Knight Grand Cross of Military Order of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy Grand Cross of the Order of Merit
"Carlos Manuel de Céspedes" Ecuadorian Star of Abdon Calderon, First
Class Chinese Special Grand Cordon Order of
Pao Ting Hungarian Grand Cross of the Order of
Merit Order of Mexican Military Merit
Grand Cross Order of Romanian Military Merit
Decorations French Médaille militaire
French Croix de Guerre with Palm and Gilt star
Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm Philippine Medal of Valor
Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star Italian War Merit Cross
Greek War Cross Guatemalan Cross of Military Merit,
First Class Unit awards
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit
Citation Service medals
Philippine Defense Medal with one bronze campaign star
Philippine Liberation Medal with two bronze campaign stars
Philippine Independence Medal United Nations Service Medal for Korea
Pacific Star Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Memberships General MacArthur belonged to several
military and patriotic societies including the Society of the Cincinnati,
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Sons of Union
Veterans of the Civil War, Sons of the American Revolution, Military Order of
Foreign Wars, Military Order of the World Wars and the American Legion.
He was also eligible for membership in the Sons of the Revolution, Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the Order of Lafayette, but his membership in these
organizations has not been confirmed. On January 17, 1936, MacArthur was made
a Freemason at sight by Samuel Hawthorne, Grand Master of Masons in the
Philippines in a two-hour ceremony. After being raised to the degree of
Master Mason, MacArthur joined Manila Lodge No.1. On October 19, 1937, he was
elected Knight Commander Court of Honor, and on December 8, 1947, he was
coroneted to the honorary 33rd Degree at the American Embassy in Tokyo. He was
also a life member of the Nile Shrine in Seattle, Washington.
References External links
New York Times Obituary General Orders No. 13, Headquarters,
Department of the Army, 6 April 1964.