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A true leader has the
confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the
compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a
leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his
intent. - Douglas MacArthur
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/520712]
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A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5
April 1964) was an American five-star
general and field marshal of the Philippine
Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United
States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific
theater during World War II. He received the Medal
of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign, which made him
and his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr., the first father and
son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five men ever to rise to the rank
of General of the Army in the US Army, and
the only man ever to become a field marshal in the Philippine Army.
Raised in a military family in the American
Old West, MacArthur was valedictorian
at the West Texas Military Academy,
and First Captain at the United States Military Academy at
West Point, where he graduated top of the class of 1903. During the 1914 United States occupation of
Veracruz, he conducted a reconnaissance
mission, for which he was nominated for the Medal of Honor. In 1917, he was
promoted from major to colonel and became chief of staff of the 42nd (Rainbow) Division. In
the fighting on the Western Front during World War I, he
rose to the rank of brigadier general, was again nominated for a Medal of
Honor, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
twice and the Silver Star seven times.
From 1919 to 1922, MacArthur served as Superintendent of
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he attempted a series of
reforms. His next assignment was in the Philippines, where in 1924 he was
instrumental in quelling the Philippine Scout Mutiny. In 1925, he became
the Army's youngest major general. He served on the court martial of Brigadier
General Billy Mitchell and was president of the American Olympic Committee during
the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. In 1930, he
became Chief of Staff of the United States Army. As such, he was involved in
the expulsion of the Bonus Army protesters from Washington, D.C. in 1932, and
the establishment and organization of the Civilian Conservation Corps. He retired
from the US Army in 1937 to become Military
Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.
MacArthur was recalled to active duty in
1941 as commander of United States Army Forces in
the Far East. A series of disasters followed, starting with the destruction
of his air forces on 8 December 1941, and the invasion of the Philippines by
the Japanese. MacArthur's forces were soon compelled to withdraw to Bataan, where they
held out until May 1942. In March 1942, MacArthur, his family and his staff
left nearby Corregidor Island in PT boats and escaped to Australia,
where MacArthur became Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area. Upon his
arrival in Australia, MacArthur gave a speech in which he famously promised
"I shall return" to the Philippines. For his defense of the
Philippines, MacArthur was awarded the Medal of Honor. After more than two
years of fighting in the Pacific, he fulfilled a promise to return to the Philippines.
He officially accepted Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945, aboard USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo
Bay, and oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951. As the
effective ruler of Japan, he oversaw sweeping economic, political and social
changes. He led the United Nations Command in the Korean War
until he was removed from
command by President Harry S. Truman on 11 April 1951. He later became
Chairman of the Board of Remington Rand.
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