Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He was married to Jean MacArthur and Henrietta Louise Cromwell Brooks. He died on April 5, 1964 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Army officer who retired with the rank General of the Army (5 stars).
Pictured on a 6¢ US commemorative postage stamp issued in his honor, 26 January 1971 (91st anniversary of birth).
Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during WWII as a General.
Graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. on June 11, 1903 and later returned to head the school (1919-22) before returning to his military career.
Accepted the surrender of the Japanese aboard the USS Missouri on 2 September 1945. MacArthur directed the occupation of Japan from 1945-1950, instituting such reforms as female suffrage, freedom of the press, workers' unionization rights, and ownership of land for peasants.
He and his father, Arthur MacArthur, are the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor (MacArthur was awarded the medal for his service during World War II. His father was awarded the medal as a private in a Wisconsin regiment during the Battle of Missionary Ridge in Tennessee during the US CIvil War). In 2001 西奥多·罗斯福 was posthumously awarded the medal; his son was awarded the medal for his efforts on D-Day.
Relieved as Supreme Allied Commander by US Pres. 哈里 in April 1951 during the Korean War. Fearing nuclear war with the USSR, Truman warned MacArthur against an incursion into Soviet-backed China, even after Chinese troops began pouring across the North Korean side of the 38th parallel. MacArthur publicly criticized that policy. Truman interpreted that as MacArthur challenging longtime US policy of civilian control over the military, and relieved him of command. When he returned home, he was met with massive adulation, epitomized by his famous "Old soldiers never die" address to Congress, which was interrupted by 30 ovations.
A classic "mama's boy", the married MacArthur was so afraid that his mother would learn of his affair with a woman while he was living with his wife and mother in the Philippines that he paid muckraking columnist Drew Pearson $15,000 to return letters the couple wrote each other.
Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1962.
A movie buff, MacArthur was known to attend the movies with his wife Jean MacArthur most evenings during his pre-war tenure as military commander of the Phillipines.
Only American officer to hold the rank of Field Marshal - as commander of the Phillippine armed forces.
Father, with Jean MacArthur, of son Arthur MacArthur.
Famous for smoking a corncob pipe and being very outspoken in the same manner as 乔治·史密斯.
Grand Cross Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau, the official military and civil order of the Netherlands. It is the highest honor a foreigner can receive.
Former stepfather of Tanya Brooks.
Buried in the MacArthur memorial, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
MacArthur promoted himself aggressively to get a Medal of Honor, even going so far as to recommend himself for one after a mission. Quite a few people feel that his Medal of Honor should never have been awarded for "Defense of the Philippines" because the Philippines fell to Japan, and because he did not personally see or engage in combat during the battle, instead being evacuated as soon as possible. Quite a few people felt that he should not have been decorated at all after the fall of the Philippines, and would have preferred to see him court-martialed for incompetence. Eisenhower himself blocked efforts to be awarded his own Medal of Honor at the end of the war, precisely because he had not been in combat, and he regarded the Medal as something to be awarded only for actions under fire. MacArthur knew he was stepping onto very thin ice regarding the Medal, and at the award ceremony he made a comment about only accepting it in recognition for the valiant efforts of the men under his command. He's on record as stating, early in his career, that he was willing to sell his soul for the Medal of Honor.
MacArthur rarely approached the front lines, which meant he had no conception of the horrific New Guinea terrain, which meant he thought his men were slackers when they were literally hung up on mountains and bunkers. On at least two occasions, commanders were sacked right at the point where they were about to succeed, and their replacements got all the credit.
Truman's removal of MacArthur caused the former's popularity to plummet and contributed to his decision to not seek re-election. To this day, Truman still has one of the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for a President in office.
Around late 1930, he began to refer to himself exclusively by his last name, even conversationally.
Contrary to popular belief, MacArthur never recommended the use of atomic weapons during the Korean War, although he did suggest using radioactive poisons to cut off North Korea if the Soviet Union formally entered the conflict.
Corncob pipe
Aviator sunglasses
