Douglas MacArthur was born Jan. 26, 1880. He commanded in France during World War I. He was superintendent of West Point, 1919-20. In 1930, at age 50, Douglas MacArthur became the youngest chief of staff of the U.S. Army.
A four-star general, he retired in 1939, but returned in 1941 to defend the Philippines. When Japan invaded, President Roosevelt ordered him to Australia. MacArthur left, but not before he promising “I shall return.”
When General MacArthur heard of the 10,000 Filipino and American prisoners who died on the Bataan Death March, he stated, April 9, 1942: “To the weeping mothers of its dead, I can only say that the sacrifice and halo of Jesus of Nazareth has descended upon their sons, and that God will take them unto Himself.”
On Oct. 20, 1944, General MacArthur returned with an American army and freed the Philippines, stating: “People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil – soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come, dedicated and committed to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control. … The hour of your redemption is here. … Let the indomitable spirit of Bataan and Corregidor lead on. …”
In a radio speech broadcast from the invasion beach on returning to the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur stated, Oct. 20, 1944:”Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of your sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of Divine God points the way. Follow in His name to the Holy Grail of righteous victory!”
General Douglas MacArthur stated: “In war, when a commander becomes so bereft of reason and perspective that he fails to understand the dependence of arms on Divine guidance, he no longer deserves victory.”
Promoted to Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, he received Japan’s surrender on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor.