preview

Douglas Macarthur: The Makings Of King Arthur

Decent Essays

The Makings of MacArthur
Throughout history, the United States military has given birth to many highly successful leaders and generals. General Douglas MacArthur has long been considered as one of these leaders. Although historians have scrutinized his failures , he has maintained a prominent reputation as an extraordinary military leader. His father, General Arthur MacArthur, famously told him, “There are times when a truly remarkable soldier must resort to unorthodox behavior, disobeying his superiors to gain the greater glory.” Consequently, Douglas MacArthur established his reputation by disobeying direct orders. These incidents in many ways defined and although made him controversial also helped to make him famous. MacArthur’s …show more content…

To these people MacArthur was a vain-glorious, manipulative, disobedient, deceitful, and pompous commander who frequently confused his own causes with those of his country, often needlessly risking the latter for the sake of the …show more content…

However, Franklin Roosevelt recalled MacArthur to active duty on July 26, 1941 as war loomed and placed him in charge of American and Filipino forces in the Philippines making him the overall commander when the Japanese invaded—December 8, 1941. Although MacArthur’s defense of the Philippine islands can be considered lacking, the American defenders, who resisted Japanese attacks for five months, lasted much longer than the British and Dutch in Indonesia and Malaysia. Regardless of how the lengthened defense changed the Japanese battle plan, the defense transformed MacArthur into “the first American hero of the war.” Yet, throughout the defense of the Philippines, MacArthur consistently defied and disobeyed orders from his superiors. America’s need for a hero to support and to improve morale, both domestically and abroad, saved MacArthur from citations for insubordination and possibly even

Get Access