Douglas MacArthur

:For the municipality in the Philippines, see General MacArthur, Eastern Samar.

Summary of Service

West Point

• June 13, 1899 ? appointed as a Cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
• 1900: Is the victim of hazing and becomes involved in a serious scandal where one Cadet is left dead by upperclassman abuse. Maintains his honor, and does not appear as a "snitch", by only naming cadets who hazed him who were already expelled from West Point or had previously confessed
• June 11, 1903 ? Graduates first in his class, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers

Early Career

• June 1903: Serves with the 3rd Battalion of Engineers in the Philippine Islands
• 1904: Assigned to the California Debris Commission.
• April 1904: Promoted to First Lieutenant, becomes acting Chief Engineering Officer for the Army Pacific Division based in San Francisco, California
• October 1904: Reports to Tokyo, Japan to serves as an aide to his father (Major General Arthur MacArthur) in the Far East
• December 1906: Serves as aide-de-camp to President Theodore Roosevelt
• August 1907: Attends the "Engineering School of Application" in Washington, DC
• February 1908: Assigned as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Improvements Commission, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• April 1908: Appointed as Commanding Officer, Company K, 3rd Battalion of Engineers. Later that year becomes an instructor at the Mounted Service School, Fort Riley, Kansas
• April 1909: Becomes Quartermaster for the 3rd Battalion of Engineers
• February 1911: Promoted to Captain and serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the Engineering Depot at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
• November 1912: Assigned to the General Staff Corps, Washington DC, for duty as a Member and Recorder of the Board of Engineering Troops
• April 1913: Appointed as Superintendent of State, War, and Navy Buildings as a member of the General Staff
• April 1914: Becomes the Assistant Engineering Officer of the military expedition to Veracruz, Mexico
• December 1915: Promoted to Major, serves as an Engineering Officer on the Army General Staff
• August 1917: Advanced to the temporary rank of Colonel in the National Army. Reports to Camp Mill, Long Island, New York to begin forming the 42nd Infantry Division.

World War I

• 1917 - 1918: Becomes Chief of Staff of the 42nd Infantry Division and is credited with naming it the "Rainbow Division". Joins the American Expeditionary Force bound for France
• June 1918: Appointed a Brigadier General in the National Army and serves as Divisional Chief of Staff, 84th Infantry Brigade, and is later appointed as the Divisional Commander
• 1918 - 1919: Cited for extreme battlefield bravery and also is wounded in combat and gassed by the enemy. Was known for personally leading troops into battle, often without a weapon of his own. Begins to develop a negative relationship with General of the Armies John Pershing, after feeling that Pershing is wasting the lives of his troops with bad military tactics.
• May 1919: Returns the United States a hero, but is distraught over the lack of recognition his Rainbow Division receives for actions in France.

Inter-war Years

• June 1919: Becomes the Superintendent of the US Military Academy, West Point
• February 1920: Reverts to peacetime rank, but is one of the few officers who does not lose his World War I position. Becomes a brigadier general in the Regular Army. Receives a negative evalution report from Pershing, now Chief of Staff, who ranks Macarthur 38 out of 45 generals and states that MacArthur has an "exalted view of himself and should remain in his present grade for several years".
• October 1922: Becomes Commanding General, District of Manila, in the Philippines
• July 1923: While still serving as District of Manila Commander, also becomes Commanding of the 23rd Infantry Brigade
• January 1925: Promoted to Major General, becoming the youngest two-star general in the U.S. Army. Returns to the United States to become a Corps Commander
• May 1925: Assigned as IVth Area Corps Commander, U.S. Army, encompassing areas of Atlanta and Georgia
• 1926 - 1927: Serves as 3rd Corps Commander, based in Baltimore, Maryland
• 1928: Leads the US Olympic Team to Amsterdam and is then assigned as the Commanding General, Philippine Department, based in Manila.
• October 1930: Becomes the commander of the Ninth Corps Area based in San Franciso, California
• November 21, 1930: Appointed as a full General and becomes Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• June 1932: Presides over the destruction of the "Bonus Army", deemed a low point of his tenure as Army Chief of Staff
• October 1935: Completes his tour as Chief of Staff and declines retirement from the Army. Per Army regulations, reverts to his permanent rank of Major General and becomes the Chief Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines
• December 31, 1937: Decides to retire from the United States Army. Is advanced back to the rank of General for listing on the U.S. Army retired rolls

Civilian service

• 1937 - 1941: Civilian advisor to the Philippine Government on military matters. Is appointed a Field Marshal in the Philippine Army. Begins wearing the cap which is so often associated with him, that being a Field Marshall cover with U.S. Army crest
• April 1937 - marries Jean Faircloth
• February 21, 1938 - Arthur MacArthur IV is born

World War II

• July 26, 1941: Recalled to active service in the United States Army as a Major General
• July 27, 1941: Appointed a Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States and becomes Commanding General of USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East)
• December 1941: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, is promoted to General in the Army of the United States and ordered to defend the Philippine islands from a Japanese invasion
• February 22, 1942: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt orders MacArthur out of the Philippines as the American defense of the nation collapses. Upon leaving MacArthur says, "I shall return."
• 1942 - 1943: Begins the conquest of New Guinea and is generally credited with halting an invasion of Australia by Japanese forces
• 1943 - 1944: Begins a series of arguments with the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding a return to the Philippine Islands. The majority of the Joint Chiefs want to bypass the Philippines and take Formosa. MacArthur makes a personal appeal to President Roosevelt that, should the Philippines be bypassed, he would publically denounce the war effort as betraying captured U.S. soldiers and leaving a large enemy flank to the rear of U.S. forces attacking the Japanese home islands.
• December 1944: Becomes a General of the Army and is ranked the second highest ranking officer of the U.S. Army, second only to George Marshall
• 1944 - 1945: Due to logistics issues the Joint Chiefs decided to invade the Philippine Islands. MacArthur again must fight to convince his superiors to invade the entire Philippine Islands, whereas initial plans call for only an invasion of the south. The Joint Chiefs at last agreed that MacArthur is to invade the Philippine Islands at Leyte Gulf and strike towards Manila.
• February 5, 1945: MacArthur fulfills his promise to return and liberates Manila
• August 1945: Is considered for promotion to Six Star General (General of the Armies) to lead to massive invasion force which will attack Japan in 1946. Is stunned when the atomic bomb ends the war abruptly, quoted that "this apparatus will make men like me obsolete". MacArthur knew nothing of the bombs development, however Eisenhower did.
• September, 1945: Presides over the surrender of Japan and becomes military governor of Japanese home islands. Threatens the Soviet Union with armed conflict should Red Army soldiers attempt to occupy any part of Japan.

Occupation of Japan

• December 15, 1945 - Orders the end of Shinto as the state religion of Japan
• 1945 - 1948: Begins sweeping reforms, drafts a new constitution for Japan, and puts an end to centuries of Emperor god-worship
• 1948 - 1950: Becomes second man in Japan to a new Ambassador-Extraordinary, appointed by President Harry Truman. Attempts to run for President in 1948 but withdraws his candidacy after the news media states that MacArthur would be disloyal to his Commander-in-Chief if he ran against Harry Truman.

Korean War

• July 8, 1950: Following the invasion of North Korea into South Korea, MacArthur is named Commander of all United Nations forces in Korea.
• July 31, 1950: Travels to Taiwan and conducts diplomacy with Chiang Kai-Shek
• September 15 1950: Leads UN forces at the Battle of Inchon, seen as one of the greatest military manuveers in history
• October 15 1950: Meets with President Truman on Wake Island after heavy disagreements develop regarding the conduct of the Korean War. When meeting Truman, it is very noticeable that MacArthur does not salute his Commander-in-Chief but rather offers a handshake
• November - December 1950: Advocates for full scale war with China upon that nation's entry into the Korean War. Is outraged when military leaders in Washington restrict the war to only the Korean theater.
• April 11, 1951: After he publicly criticizes White House policy in Korea, Harry Truman removes MacArthur from command and orders him to return to the United States
• April 19, 1951: At a farewell address before Congress, MacArthur gives the famous Old Soldiers Never Die speech
• May 1951: Retires a second time from the U.S. Army, but is listed as permanently active duty due to the regulations regarding those who hold Five Star General rank. For adminsitrative reasons, is assigned in absentee to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff

Later life

• 1951 - 1952: Loses a great deal of public support after Senate hearings investigate into why MacArthur was relieved and it is revealed MacArthur had advocated a full scale war with China and, if necessary, nuclear war with the Soviet Union as an escalation of the Korean conflict.
• 1952: Runs for President on the Republican platform. Loses badly in the Wisconsin Primary and withdraws from the Presidential race. Is distraught when his former aide, Dwight Eisenhower secures the Republican nomination and later becomes President of the United States
• January 1955: Is nominated by the United States Congress for promotion to General of the Armies. Declines the promotion as it would have meant a loss of retirement pay and benefits associated with being a Five Star General.
• May 12 1962 - Gives famous valedictory speech at West Point
• April 5 1964: Douglas MacArthur dies at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

Dates of rank

• Second Lieutenant, United States Army: June 11, 1903
• First Lieutenant, United States Army: April 23, 1904
• Captain, United States Army: February 27, 1911
• Major, United States Army: December 11, 1915
• Colonel, National Army: August 5, 1917
• Brigadier General, National Army: June 26, 1918
• Brigadier General rank made permanent in the Regular Army: January 20, 1920
• Major General, Regular Army: January 17, 1925
• General for temporary service as Army Chief of Staff: November 21, 1930
• Reverted to permanent rank of Major General, Regular Army: October 1, 1935
• Retired in grade as a General on Regular Army rolls: December 31, 1937
• Recalled to active service as a Major General in the Regular Army: July 26, 1941
• Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States: July 27, 1941
• General, Army of the United States: December 18, 1941
• General of the Army, Army of the United States: December 18, 1944
• General of the Army rank made permanent in the Regular Army: March 23, 1946

In 1955, a bill passed by the United States Congress authorized the President of the United States to promote Douglas MacArthur to the rank of General of the Armies (a similar measure had also been proposed unsuccesfully in 1945). However, due to regulations involving retirement pay and benefits, as well as MacArthur being junior to George C. Marshall (who had not been recommended for the same promotion), MacArthur declined promotion to what many view would have been seen as a Six Star General.

Related Topics:
1955 - United States Congress - President of the United States - General of the Armies - 1945 - George C. Marshall

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Awards and decorations

During his military career, General MacArthur was awarded the following decorations from both the United States and other allied nations. The awards listed below are those which would have been worn on a military uniform and do not include commemorative medals, unofficial decorations, and non-portable awards.

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United States

• Medal of Honor
• Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster
• Army Distinguished Service Medal
• Navy Distinguished Service Medal
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Silver Star with one silver oak leaf cluster
• Bronze Star Medal with Valor device
• Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster
• Presidential Unit Citation with 1 silver and 1 bronze oak leaf cluster
• Air Medal
• Mexican Service Medal
• World War I Victory Medal with five battle clasps
• Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
• American Defense Service Medal with ?Foreign Service? clasp
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two silver service stars and arrowhead device
• World War II Victory Medal
• Army of Occupation Medal with ?Japan?clasp
• National Defense Service Medal
• Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars and arrowhead device
• United Nations Service Medal
• Command Aviator Badge
• Combat Infantryman Badge
• Army General Staff Identification Badge
• Fourteen Overseas Service Bars
• Expert Badge with Rifle and Pistol bars

Foreign awards

• Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath
• French Legion of Honor
• French Croix de Guerre
• French Medal of Merit
• Australian Pacific Star
• Philippine Medal of Valor
• Philippine Distinguished Service Cross
• Philippine Legion of Honor
• Philippine Defense Medal with one service star
• Philippine Liberation Medal with four service stars
• Republic of the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation
• Philippine Independence Medal
• Order of the Belgium Crown
• Belgium Croix de Guerre
• Belgian Order of the Cross
• Czechoslovakian Order of the White Lion
• Polish Virtuti Militari
• Polish Grand Cross of Polonia Restituta
• Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
• Grand Cross Netherlands Order of Orange-Nassau
• Yugoslavian Order of the White Eagle
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun
• Republic of Korean Presidential Unit Citation
• Korean War Service Medal
• Korean Grand Cross of the Order of Military Valour and Merit
• Italian Grand Cross of the Military Order
• Italian War Cross
• Cuban Grand Cross of Military Merit
• Ecuadorian Grand Cross Order of Abdon Calderon
• Chinese Cordon of Pau Ting
• Greek Medal of Honor
• Guatemalan Cross of Military Merit
• Hungarian Grand Cross of Military Merit
• Order of Mexican Military Merit
• Grand Cross Order of Romanian Military Merit