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Douglas MacArthur

My name is Douglas MacArthur. I was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 26,1880.

I was the son of an officer of the U.S. Army, Arthur MacArthur Jr. My family moved a lot. I was
the youngest of three brothers and I grew up enjoying sports and outdoor adventures. As a
child, my family lived mostly in the Old West. My mother Mary taught me how to read and write,
while my brothers taught me how to hunt and ride a horse. My dream as a child was to grow up
and be a famous soldier like my dad.

After graduating high school, I entered the United States Military Academy at West Point.
I was an excellent student and played on the school's baseball team. I graduated first in my
class in 1903 and joined the army as second lieutenant. I was very successful in the army. I was
promoted several times. When the United States entered World War I in 1917 I was promoted to
colonel. I was given a command of the "Rainbow" Division or the 42nd Division.
I proved myself to be an outstanding military leader and a brave soldier. I often fought on the
front lines with my soldiers and earned several awards for bravery.

Upon returning from Europe, I received orders to assume command of the Philippine
Department. I then took charge of the Army`s Philippine Department. While in command, I
renewed a friendship with the island`s top politician, Manuel Quezon, whom I had known for
more than 30 years. While I and Quezon failed our attempt to get the former named governor of
the Philippines, President Herbert Hoover settled differences by promoting me to four-star
general and Army Chief of Staff, in 1930. However, because of the Great Depression, my new
job was difficult.

In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt chose me as his military adviser to the Philippines and
sent me to establish a defensive military force. I then married my wife, Jean Faircloth in 1937,
and the following year she gave birth to a son, Arthur.

In 1941, I was named commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific. As the relationship
between Japan and the united state began to break down after the meeting of the treaty of
Versailles. Not long after, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

At that time, I was in Philippines. After the attacked, the Japanese turned their attention to the
Philippines. They quickly took control and I, along with my wife and child, had to escape through
enemy lines on a small boat. Once I could gather my forces, I went on the attack. I began to win
back islands from the Japanese. After several years of fighting, I and my troops won back the
Philippines, delivering a serious blow to the Japanese forces. My next job was to invade Japan.
However, the U.S. leaders decided to use the atomic bomb instead. After atomic bombs were
dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan surrendered. I accepted the official Japanese
surrender on September 2, 1945.
After the war, I took on the monumental task of rebuilding Japan. The country was
defeated and in ruins. At first, I helped to provide food for the starving people of Japan out of the
armies supplies. I then worked to rebuild the basic structure and government of Japan. Japan
had a new democratic constitution and would eventually grow to become one of the largest
economies in the world.

In 1950, the Korean War broke out between North and South Korea. I was made a
commander of the forces fighting to keep South Korea free. I came up with a brilliant, but risky
plan. I attacked at a point well behind the enemy lines, splitting the North Korean army. The
attack was a success, and the North Korean army was driven out of South Korea. However,
soon the Chinese joined in the war to help North Korea and also, Soviet Union came to help
after. I wanted to attack the Chinese, but President Truman disagreed and forced me to retreat.
I was relieved of my command over the disagreement.

In April 1951, I returned to the United States and settled in Washington, DC. The
American public welcomed me back as a hero, but Truman continued to be openly critical of my
actions. I spent much of my time to defending my actions in Korea and criticizing Truman’s
inaction. I died on April 5, 1964 at the age of 84.

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