General Douglas MacArthur - Norfolk, Virginia
N 36° 50.844 W 076° 17.327
18S E 385097 N 4078719
Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 26, 1880 and grew to become one of America’s most famous military figures.
Waymark Code: WMPE63
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/16/2015
Views: 11
General Douglas MacArthur was one of America’s most revered military leaders and Medal of Honor Recipient. He attended the United States Military Academy, graduating at the top of his class in 1903. Upon graduation MacArthur would serve as a division commander during combat operation in France during World War I.
Following the war, MacArthur would return to West Point serving as its superintendent from 1919-1922. MacArthur would see combat once again during the Philippine Scout Mutiny and was promoted to Major General, where he would serve as the Army’s Chief of Staff. In 1937, General MacArthur would retire from active duty only to be recalled to service in 1941 when he assumed command of U.S. Forces in the Pacific.
After being forced to retreat from the Philippines by the invading Japanese force, MacArthur uttered the now famous words, “I shall Return.” Over the next two years, MacArthur launched several offensives which eventually drove the Japanese from the Islands allowing him to fulfill his proclamation and “return.”
It was during the battle for the Philippines General MacArthur was award the Medal of Honor. In 1945, Japan was force to surrender and it was General MacArthur who officially accepted and signed the terms of surrender on board the USS Missouri.
Following the war, General MacArthur over saw the reconstruction of Japan until he was once again called to combat at the beginning of the Korean Conflict. As commander of the United Nations Forces in Korea, General MacArthur was very vocal on the need to expand military operations against China. This was in stark contrast to President Truman’s position of a limited police action. The conflict between President Truman and General MacArthur came to a head on April 11, 1951, when Truman relieved MacArthur of command, thus ending his military career. After 52-years of military service General MacArthur retired splitting his time between Washington D.C. and New York.
In his remaining years, General MacArthur was often consulted by Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson concerning military matters. On April 5, 1964, General Douglas MacArthur passed away in Washington, D.C. at the age of 82. Following a State Funeral he was buried in the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia.
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The coordinates for this waymark were taken near a statue of General MacArthur at the entrance of the MacArthur Memorial.