Douglas Macarthur Accomplishments

Douglas MacArthur was born January 26, 1880 on an Army base in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the third son of Captain Arthur MacArthur and Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur. Born into a military family, there was no question as to what Douglas MacArthur would do with his life. At the time of his birth, his father was a captain in the Army. Douglas’ father had even received awards for his service during the Civil War. His mother also had a military background, as her brothers battled for the South during the Civil War (Herman 13). A general in the United States Army Douglas MacArthur’s military career lasted over sixty years; in order to understand the general’s life better, it is important to acknowledge several aspects of his military career

The general had a foundational part in the 42nd “Rainbow” Division of the army. MacArthur gave it the name of “Rainbow” due to it being made up of National Guard units from all over the country. Baker soon gave the general a promotion to colonel and also chief of staff to command the division. MacArthur was astounded because he knew it was his way to battle and command. He never wanted to be behind a desk, but always desired to be in the field fighting with his men. His people would wear helmets and he would wear a soft cap. He would even order his men to put on gas masks, but would not wear one himself. At least two times there are accounts of MacArthur paying the price for not wearing a gas mask. Once he was even hospitalized. In June of 1918, General MacArthur gained the title of a brigadier general. He was the youngest in the Army to ever receive this honor. MacArthur was given command of yet another division, the 84th Brigade, to simply light a fire in them. He goes to the front of their line, pressing the enemy. Soon a flame erupts over their heads, which showed a German machine gun crew. After hitting the ground, he finally realizes that they are all dead. Once he determines that the Germans have withdrawn, he personally goes to share the news with the commander of the

He received the honor of being the head of the U.S. Army forces in the Pacific area and was also in charge of prepping the Philippine and American militaries to combat the Japanese. He greatly increased his forces from 22,000 to 180,000; however, the country was not prepared for the Japanese when they attacked on December 8, 1941. This happened only one day after Japan had invaded Pearl Harbor. The general received much criticism for not have his aircrafts prepared after hearing about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He also did not stock food or ammunition on the Bataan Peninsula, which was where his forces had to take shelter after the Japanese defeated them. This caused a great struggle for his troops to survive. After President Roosevelt commanded General MacArthur twice to leave the Philippines, he finally did so on March 11, 1942 with only his family and a few staff. He arrived in Australia on March 17, 1942 and soon realized that he must make preparation for the United States and Australian troops to be attacked by Japan. The general led forces by ground back to the Philippines, moving from one island to another, dodging places that the Japanese may attack them and also making unexpected attacks against those troops (General). On October 20, 1944, the general and his forces invaded the central Philippines. This is where he made his famous statement, “People of the