Douglas MacArthur, the son of the high-ranking military figure, Arthur MacArthur, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on 26th January, 1880. Although previously a poor scholar, in 1903 MacArthur graduated first in his 93-man class, at West Point Military Academy.
Commissioned in the Corps of the Engineers, MacArthur was sent by the United States Army to the Philippines and by 1904 had been promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. Later that year he joined his father who was serving in Far East before becoming aide-de-camp to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
MacArthur was assigned to general staff duty with the War Department and was an official observer with the Vera Cruz Expedition. On the advice of General Leonard Wood, MacArthur was promoted to major.
In the First World War MacArthur commanded the 42nd Division on the Western Front and was decorated 13 times and cited seven additional times for bravery. Promoted the the rank of brigadier in August, 1918, three months later he became the youngest divisional commander in France.
After the war MacArthur returned to the United States where he became brigadier general and the youngest ever superintendent of West Point in its 117 year history. Over the next three years he doubled its size and modernized the curriculum.
In 1922 MacArthur was sent to the Philippines where he commanded the newly established Military District of Manila. At the age of forty-three MacArthur became the army's youngest general and in 1928 was appointed president of the American Olympic Committee.
MacArthur was appointed chief of staff of the US Army in 1930. Once again he was the youngest man to hold the office and over the next few years attempted to modernize America's army of 135,000 men. MacArthur developed right-wing political views and at one meeting argued that: "Pacifism and its bedfellow, Communism, are all about us. Day by day this cancer eats deeper into the body politic."
In June 1932, MacArthur, controversially used tanks, four troops of cavalry with drawn sabers, and infantry with fixed bayonets, on the Bonus Army in Washington. He justified his attack on former members of the United States Army by claiming that the country was on the verge of a communist revolution. Dwight D. Eisenhower and George Patton also took part in this operation.
The radical journalist, Drew Pearson, was highly critical of MacArthur's actions. MacArthur's ex-wife, Louise Cromwell, provided Pearson with confidential information about her former husband.
At the time of his second retirement from the Army in 1943, he was 75 years of age, the oldest Army officer to serve on active duty during the war. In recognition of the achievements of his service in his fourth war, the Army awarded him with the Legion of Merit (Arrasmith, 2011).
During the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant played a major role in the Union’s victory. He did this by: Winning multiple battles, his expertise as a leader, and defeating Robert E. Lee. Grant started his career as an officer by going through the military academy called WestPoint. After graduating as a Second Lieutenant, he made his way through the ranks in the Mexican-American War. During the Civil War, he was promoted to Brigadier General, Major General and then to Lieutenant General by President Abraham Lincoln.
Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. His father was John Edward “Jack” Reagan, and his mother was Nelle Wilson Reagan. He was born into a happy, well-disciplined family, and had a very happy childhood. Before Reagan held office, Reagan was a radio announcer, and became the voice of Major League Baseball in 1932. Reagan also had a 7-year contract with Warner Brothers, and made about fifty movies. Reagan then put all the fun and games aside, and joined the Army Reserve and was called to active duty shortly after Pearl Harbor. “ He was in the Army from 1942-45 rising to the level of Captain. However, he never took part in combat and stated stateside. He narrated training films and was in the Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit.” (Martin Kelly, n...
The lesson to be learned from all this: the deciding factor in diplomacy should be more based on what one thinks will happen as opposed to could happen. While a little idealistic, MacArthur certainly knew what he was talking about when it came to warfare, and America would have won the Cold War sooner if MacArthur?s mindset were accepted.
His coercive and informational power, however, were not as effective. His coercive power and defensive approach made it challenging to connect with his civilian leadership, which caused many disagreements between the two. His informational power was the deciding factor for President Truman to relieve General MacArthur for insubordination. President Truman’s legitimate power and referent power were effective in that his subordinates respected him, and most of the time supported his decisions. He coercive power was effective in the end when he relieved General
as 822nd Squadron Operation Officer and then Assistant 38th Bomb Group Operations Officer. Received a combat promotion to 1st Lieutenant 15 July 1945.
MacArthur, Douglas. “Duty, Honor, Country.” Sylvanus Thayer Award Acceptance. West Point, NY. 12 May, 1962.
Powell's next overseas assignment was in South Vietnam, where he was wounded in action. He then studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, finishing second in a class of more than twelve hundred officers. During a second tour in Vietnam he received the Soldier's Medal for pulling several men from a burning helicopter.
Ulysses S Grant born Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on 27 April 1822 in Pleasant, Ohio. Grant and his family moved to Georgetown, Ohio, just one year after his birth. Grant was a graduate of West Point in 1843 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 4th U.S. Infantry stationed in Missouri. Grant was married Julia Dent and had four children later in marriage. Grant served in the Mexican-American War and he resigned from the military in 1854 after being stationed for several years away from his family. Grant tried a few different occupations after resigning from the Army such as a Farmer, Realtor, and after moving to Galena, Illinois, worked at his father’s leather goods business but failed at all these occupations. Grant was promoted to Colonel in the 21st Illinois Volunteers in April 1861after the start of the Civil War. Grant was then promoted to the rank of Brigadier General later that summer by President Abraham Lincoln. (www.histo...
Early in his career, Douglas Macarthur was sent to the Philippines and Panama, and was promoted to the position of first lieutenant. In 1906, he joined his father and served under President Theodore Roosevelt. Later, he joined the mission of US occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. In World War 1, he prevailed as the commander of 42nd Division and by the end of the war, he was promoted to brigadier general. From 1919 to 1922, he became the youngest superintendent for West Point Military Aca...
His remarkable abilities as a staff officer led to quick promotion. After serving as chief of police affairs of the Kwantung army (the Japanese army in China), he became its chief of staff in 1937. He was appointed vice minister of war in May 1938 and director of military aviation in December. In July 1940, as minister of war, he drafted new mobilization plans that strained diplomatic relations with the United States.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, was close to not achieving commander status. If this had happened, a different person would have taken control over Operations Torch, Avalanche, and Overlord. Eisenhower, in fact, was the key component in the victory for the Allies. Had he not been assigned by George Marshall to a planning officer in Washington D.C., President Harry Truman might not have saw Eisenhower’s potential. Eisenhower’s past 30 years of military experience, his strong mental and social stature, and his ideas and tactics were all key factors for his triumphant victory in World War II.
served as a chief of staff in the Army of the Cumberland, saw action at
The Web. Blumenson, Martine, and the Patton Papers, (14 March 2014) 2-13-2014) “George S. Patton Jr.” U-s-history.com. Web. The Web. The Web.
From 1924 to 1927, Marshall served in China and then successively as instructor in the Army War College in 1927, as assistant commandant of the Infantry School from 1927 to 1936. In 1936, Marshall was appointed commander of the Fifth Infantry Brigade. I July of 1938, Marshall accepted a position with General Staff in Washington, D. C (The Nobel Foundation 1). In September of 1939, President Roosevelt named George Catlett Marshall as Chief of Staff, which he took command of the army and its air forces on the day war began in Europe (Perkins 210). He became General of the Army in 1944. George Catlett Marshall built and directed the largest army in history. He became responsible for the building, supplying and recruiting over eight and a half million soldiers (The Nobel Foundation 1). Winston Churchill pronounced him “the true organizer of victory” for his work as trainer, planner, and strategist. Shortly after the war ended, Marshall decided to resign. He resigned in November of 1945 (Foner and Garraty 702). After his career in military ended, he pursued a diplomatic career. Marshall was sent to China to make peace between the Nationalists and the Communists, but the mission failed. On January 21, 1947, Marshall was named secretary of state (Luce 24). In 1950, after the outbreak of the Korean War, President Truman asked Marshall to return to the government as the head of the Department of defense.