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Gen. Douglas MacArthur wades ashore during initial landings at Leyte, Philippine Islands, in October 1944. (National Archives)

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Gen. Douglas MacArthur

'Old Soldier's' Place In History
Has Not Faded With Time

By Bethanne Kelly Patrick
Military.com Columnist

Gen. Douglas MacArthur's life began and ended with the Army, but also seemed inextricably linked with Asia in general and the Philippines in particular -- from his father's role as military governor to his own as Far East commander stationed there. When the war-weary general waded ashore in Leyte Gulf on Oct. 20, 1944, his return was not just a triumph, but a homecoming.

It was also the fulfillment of a famous promise MacArthur made when President Franklin Roosevelt ordered him off of Corregidor to Australia. "I shall return!" the 58-year-old warrior proclaimed as he left with his wife and young son.

The flamboyant MacArthur began his long connection with the Philippines right after his 1903 first-in-class graduation from West Point. After a later stint as the youngest-ever superintendent of his alma mater, MacArthur was shipped back to his beloved islands by then-Chief of Staff Gen. John J. Pershing. In 1928, his first marriage over, MacArthur sought refuge in the Philippines, where he and Filipino politician Manuel Quezon tried and failed to have MacArthur named military governor.

Quezon prevailed in 1935 when, as president of the new Philippine Commonwealth, he invited his old comrade to head a military mission tasked with preparing the islands for full independence in 1946. And so MacArthur, who had retired from active duty, was already in situ when he was reinstated and named Far Eastern commander by Gen. George Marshall in 1941. Despite the subsequent enemy demolition of Clark Airfield that almost resulted in his court-martial, MacArthur became a symbol -- the "lion of Luzon" -- around whom the nation rallied, and to whom it presented the Medal of Honor. MacArthur was the most-decorated officer of World War I, and, at his final retirement in 1951, the most-decorated U.S. soldier in history.

His brilliant performance in "leap-frogging" Japanese weak points helped win the war in the Pacific. He also succeeded brilliantly as the governor of occupied Japan, where he restored a country's economy and faith in itself. Throughout, the "Dugout Doug" of World War I continued to grab all the glory and attention for himself.

Love of the limelight backfired on MacArthur during the Korean War. As head of the U.N. forces, he invaded the port of Inchon despite protests from other military and political leaders. His assault forced the North Koreans back across the Yalu River. It was a tragic miscalculation: MacArthur pushed so far that the Chinese intervened, forcing the longest, bloodiest retreat in American history. While the U.S. and the U.N. compromised on a divided Korea, MacArthur could not accept what he saw as a humiliating stalemate. He made his feelings known to the point of insubordination, and President Harry S. Truman had no choice but to fire him.

With that, MacArthur returned to his first home, the United States, and conducted a farewell tour of larger-than-life proportions. In his unprecedented address to a joint session of Congress, MacArthur mentioned an old cadet refrain: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." While MacArthur may have tried to do that until his death in 1964, his imprint on history has faded not one whit.