Douglas Macarthur: A Tragic Hero

Many people had an impact during World War I and World War II, whether it was men, women, or children. Douglas MacArthur was one of those unsung heroes who impacted hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Douglas MacArthur once said, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” This statement shows his depth of personality on and off of the battlefield with all people. The statement also reflects that those soldiers and others who were on the battlefield might have lost their lives on that battlefield, but they will never disappear in our lives because of what they did. MacArthur did not lose his life on the battlefield, although he did go through hardships and tough times throughout the wars. Even through the brutality

Douglas MacArthur was no exception. MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 26, 1880 on an army base. As a newborn baby, he saw life from a different perspective being on an army base. Growing up on an army base, he always had a vision in his head that he was to to be a man in the army. With his parents’ backgrounds, MacArthur had the military mindset in his blood. His father was a captain and had been a decorated man in service in the Union Army during the Civil War. In addition, his mother originated from Virginia and her brother had fought for the south during the Civil War. Both parents had a voice whether it was fighting the war to standing up in what they believe in. As MacArthur grew up, he attended the West Texas Military Academy, where he showed academic and athletic promise. Being academically smart as well as being athletic is two major keys and advantages in the army. Once he graduated from the academy, the next step was college. Considering his academic promise showed through, he got into one of the best military schools in the nation. MacArthur then enrolled in the United States Military at West Point and later graduated with honors in 1903. After graduation, succession started to begin for Douglas MacArthur. He was commissioned as a junior officer in the Army Corp of Engineers right out of college. MacArthur once said, “It was here I

The next task at hand for MacArthur was working as a lieutenant general and commander of U.S. forces in Far East in July 1941. The norm for MacArthur was working overseas because of the experience he had in human resources. At the end of the year, December 1941, the Japanese invasion of America occurred, which defeated his forces in the Philippines badly. This event is known as Pearl Harbor and affected the Philippines because America had already been not happy about Japan’s expansion in the Pacific and American whad been interested in the Philippines. The American society knows Pearl Harbor as Japanese planes attacking the United State Naval Base in Hawaii Territory on December 7, 1941. This bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans and completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. This tragic occurrence not only negatively affected the United States, but also affected many countries and relationships among countries. Next order of businesses for MacArthur was to leave and travel to Australia to take command of Pacific operations. America began stopping provide valuable resources to Japan after finding out that they wanted to expand, which the Americans were not happy about. President Truman instructed him supreme commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. His experience on the global stage came through for this job instruction and successfully encouraged the