Douglas Macarthur was commander of all United States army forces. While he was preparing the military for the Philippines, Macarthur found out how cunning and powerful the Japanese would be in the pacific. Macarthur did not have the resource to build a force capable of holding off the Japanese. The breaking point of Macarthur’s army in the Philippines was the attack on Pearl Harbor. Under cover of night, a U.S. Navy torpedo boat spirited Macarthur and his family from Corregidor to the southern Philippines. …show more content…
As the fighting raged on Bataan, Macarthur established his headquarters on the fortress island of Corregidor in Manila Bay.
Directing the fighting from an underground tunnel on Corregidor, he was given the nickname “Dugout Doug” (militaryhistory.about.com). While traveling south, Macarthur broadcast to the Philippines “I shall return” (Douglas Macarthur), which became famous. Later on, Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall awarded Macarthur the Medal of Honor. Once Douglas Macarthur returned home to the United States, he settled in Washington, D.C. He was welcomed back as a hero, but Truman continued to be openly critical of his actions. Macarthur was considered a potential Republican presidential candidate, though none of these exploratory campaigns ever developed further. MacArthur met with Dwight Eisenhower, who had just been elected president, and advised him on how to end the Korean War. His decidedly extreme strategy, which included the use of atomic weapons, was
rejected.
When the North Korean army invaded South Korea in 1950, MacArthur was placed in command of the newly created United Nations forces and quickly drove back the attack. However, he failed to anticipate impending attacks by Chinese forces and was soon forced to retreat. In the aftermath of this defeat, MacArthur was vocal about his belief that the war should be expanded to include China, despite warnings from President Truman that he should keep his opinions to himself. Exasperated by MacArthur’s refusal to do so, Truman finally relieved him of his command in April 1951. Macarthur and his wife moved to New York City, and he was elected chairman of the board for Remington Rand, and manufacturer of typewriters and early computers. Besides the duties that came with this post, he started writing his memoirs down, which later were published as Reminiscences and serialized in Life magazine (www.biography.com). While all this was happening he also met with John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson to give them advice on military matters.
At the age of 84, Douglas Macarthur died in Washington, D.C. Macarthur was honored with a state funeral. Later that day he was buried in the Douglas Macarthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia. The Douglas Macarthur Memorial is also a museum collection documenting his and military not just a resting place for Macarthur for and his wife Jean.