General Douglas MacArthur is one of the most famous and most important Generals in the history of the U.S. Army. Some folks look at him as the “American Caesar.” For the rest of this article, I want to share some helpful information about this famous Army General. And my ultimate goal is for you to take some time to learn more about him and learn from his successes and mistakes. There is a lot you can learn from this guy.
Quick Facts About General MacArthur
- He was born in 1880 and died in 1964
- He was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army in the 1930s
- He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, making him and his father the first ever father/son to earn the award
- He was recommended for the CMOH three different times
- He was the Field Marshall of the Phillipine Army
- He graduated from West Point in 1903 at the top of his class
- He retired from the Army in 1937, but was recalled in 1941
- He was president of the American Olympic Committee during the 1928 Summer Olympics
- He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross three times, seven Silver Stars, and five Army Distinugished Service Medals
- He participated in the Mexican War, World War 1, World War 2 and the Korean War
- He served from 1903 to 1964, an amazing 61 years of service
- Some of his key assignments include: Army Chief of Staff, United Nations Command, Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, and more
- He served as Chairman of the Board at Remington Rand
- He was married twice and had one child
- He is buried in Norfolk, Virginia
Simply put, this guy had a remarkable career and life.
SOURCE: Wikipedia
Videos About General Douglas MacArthur
Here are a few neat videos I found about General MacArthur on YouTube.
Books About General MacArthur
If you visit Amazon, you will see that there are 10+ books about him. These are the books I recommend.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, General Douglas MacArthur had a pivotal role in the U.S. Army, serving in many different important assignments throughout his long career. While he was no means perfect, he was a brilliant tactician and leader. We can all benefit by studying his life and career and implementing what we learn.
What are your thoughts? What do you like or admire about General Douglas MacArthur? What do you find most amazing about the man? Leave a comment and let me know.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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I think one of the interesting things about General Douglas MacArthur’s Farewell Speech is that it is still relevant today. He speaks of the problems with communism and how, at the time, people were worried that our Armed Forces would be spread too thin if we were fighting in both the European and Asian arenas.
Last year when North Korea was putting on one of their little shows, everyone was worried about the fact that we were already over in the Middle East and shouldn’t even consider sending our forces to the far east, even if it looked like we should.
I have to agree with General MacArthur — that type of thinking is totally defeatist. It is unacceptable for a free nation such as ours to stand down from any threat regardless of any concurrent deployments of our Army.
He was a great General!
It disgusts me when I hear anyone say anything bad about General MacArthur; he was one of the greatest Generals of all time. I too, did not realize he had been involved in all of those wars and conflicts.
I will say that he deserved every award and medal he received. Many military leaders have learned from the General’s example. May he rest in peace.
Chuck, I just thought I would mention… your second video is no longer available.
Great post; I would love to see more on military leaders.
General MacArthur was a legend.
By the way, I just removed the bad video. Thanks.
I’m no good at retaining history so I especially appreciated this blog, and the recountings of such a distinguished man. It’s hard to absorb how much one man can accomplish in his life, and it seems to happen by just going about one’s daily tasks with all diligence possible. It seems that attempts at greatness elude the people who make greatness their goal. The ones who achieve greatness are those who would not see themselves as great, but just worked hard, lived with integrity, a superior work ethic and humility and courage.
To achieve greatness you simply need a big goal and then you need to do something to move you closer to your goal every single day.
As a small child (my love of military history goes WAY back), Douglas Macarthur was my favorite general, and a movie about his life was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. My grandmother, who was quite opinionated, despised him because he left the remaining U.S. forces in the Philippines at Corregidor (but only after being directly ordered to evacuate). Personally I have found W. E. B. Griffin’s portrayal of him to be quite enlightening. “American Caesar” was a well-chosen nickname.
I had no idea General MacArthur participated in so many wars! I knew he was known for a long and distinguished career, but I never realized just how long or how distinguished. Thanks for sharing! That being said… no one is perfect, nor should anyone strive to be. It’s more important to work hard, put the success of the team above your own accomplishments, and look for the learning opportunity in every situation.
Thanks for the comment. General MacArthur was the man!