Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5 April 1964) was an American general. He served with distinction in World War I; as chief of staff of the United States Army from 1930 to 1935; as Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area, from 1942 to 1945; as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers overseeing the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951; and as head of the United Nations Command in the Korean War from 1950 to 1951. He is one of only five people to hold the rank of General of the Army, and the only person to hold the rank of Field Marshal in the Philippine Army.

MacArthur, a son of Medal of Honor recipient Arthur MacArthur Jr., graduated first in his class from the U.S. Military Academy in 1903. During the 1914 U.S. occupation of Veracruz, he conducted a reconnaissance mission for which he was nominated for the Medal of Honor. 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. His next posting was in the Philippines, where in 1924 he was instrumental in quelling the Philippine Scout Mutiny. In 1925, MacArthur became the Army's youngest major general at the age of 45, and in 1930 was appointed Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He was involved in the controversial expulsion of the Bonus Army protesters in Washington, D.C., in 1932, and organized the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1935, MacArthur was appointed Military Advisor to the Commonwealth of the Philippines. He retired from the Army in 1937, but continued as an advisor and as a Field Marshal in the Philippine Army from 1936.

MacArthur was recalled to active duty in 1941 as commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East. A large portion of his air forces were destroyed in December 1941 in the Japanese attack on Clark Field, and an invasion of the Philippines followed. In March 1942, MacArthur escaped to Australia, where he was appointed Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area in April. He promised that he would return to the Philippines, and for his defense of the islands was awarded the Medal of Honor. From Australia, he commanded the New Guinea campaign, and in October 1944 led the campaign which liberated the Philippines. In December 1944, he was promoted to General of the Army.