Saturday, April 5, 2014

Fifty years ago...........................

General Douglas MacArthur died on this day in 1964 at age 84.  The son of an army officer, MacArthur was a West Point graduate.  Here is the briefest of summaries of his military career:  World War 1 veteran, Superintendent of the U. S. Military Academy,  Chief of Staff of the U. S. Army, Commander of the U. S. Army Forces in the Far East during World War II, the Medal of Honor winner for his service (not for acts of valor) during the Japanese conquest of  the Philippines, and the Commander in Chief of the United Nations Command during the Korean War.  He was forced into retirement by President Truman in 1951, which is a story in and of itself.   His famous "Old soldiers never die" speech to Congress can be found in four parts: here, here, here and here.  The cliff notes on his life and career can be read here.


No comments:

Post a Comment