MacArthur Memorial Podcast

The Medal of Honor is the highest honor that any member of the armed forces can receive. The award is granted to a person who distinguishes “himself by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of…life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual combat with the enemy.” General Douglas MacArthur received the Medal of Honor on April 1, 1942. Prior to this, MacArthur had displayed cour...

Many people believe that with World War I, the horse became a relic of the past. This belief is understandable. More than any other war; the deadly stalemate of World War I proved that muscle and sinew could not resist the crushing force of modern mechanized war or chemical weapons. Nevertheless, while the horse faded from the battlefields of Western Europe, it did not become completely obsolete....

In 1925, the court martial of Billy Mitchell captured national attention. The trial was so sensational that it would go on to inspire numerous books and even a movie starring Gary Cooper. At the center of the controversy was Billy Mitchell, a man who is today recognized as the father of the United States Air Force. An advocate of air power at a time when few could envision aircraft ever having a m...

Today, many people are amazed to learn that General MacArthur and President Kennedy admired each other. Given MacArthur’s track record with Democrats and the generational gap between the two men, this is not surprising. Despite their differences however, Kennedy and MacArthur actually had a great deal in common – both were patrician and charismatic, both had been raised in an environment that valu...

Many people are familiar with General Douglas MacArthur’s famous “I shall return” pledge. The pledge was made after the General’s successful escape from the Philippines during World War II, and it soon became the cornerstone of his strategy in the Pacific Theatre as well as a rallying cry for the guerilla movement in the Philippines. Although the pledge is very famous, few people understand how di...

Many visitors are curious about the building that houses General Douglas MacArthur’s tomb and museum. Known today as the MacArthur Memorial, the building was once the City of Norfolk’s City Hall and Courthouse. Constructed in 1850, the building has played a central role in many local and national dramas over the years. This month’s podcast delves into the history of the building - from the initial...

The careers of General Douglas MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright are indelibly intertwined with one of the darkest moments in American military history – the fall of the Philippines at the beginning of World War II. Even though both men received the Medal of Honor for their handling of the doomed situation in the Philippines, Bataan and Corregidor would haunt them for the rest of their liv...

During his 52 year military career, General Douglas MacArthur received more than 100 decorations – including the Medal of Honor – making him one of the most highly decorated officers in U.S. military history. Many of these decorations are on display in the MacArthur Memorial today, and visitors to the Memorial are often curious about the circumstances behind some of these awards. This podcast will...

As part of the material culture of the 1940s, comic books can provide World War II historians with information about everyday people and the times they lived in. Superman, Captain America, and other superheroes didn’t really fight in World War II, but the comics did influence public perceptions of the war and provide an outlet for national aspirations and fears. They created a black and white worl...

Mary “Pinky” Hardy MacArthur was a formidable woman. Her son General Douglas MacArthur regarded her as one of the dominating factors of his life. As Army Chief of Staff in the 1930’s, he remarked that she had raised his father to a Lieutenant General’s three stars, and he attributed his own greater success to the fact that she had a much earlier start with him. This month’s podcast provides a brie...

On April 11, 1951, General MacArthur was relieved of his command by President Truman, ending his 52 year military career. Both men had been increasingly at odds with each other since August 1945 - almost from the day Truman chose MacArthur to accept the Japanese surrender and oversee the occupation. It was during the Korean War however that their divergent views on U.S. foreign policy and Communis...

In March 1942, General MacArthur, his wife Jean, his son Arthur, and select members of his staff quietly boarded PT 41 in the Philippines. They were embarking on a dangerous escape attempt. Against all odds, the escape was successful, and from the safety of Australia MacArthur would utter the famous promise: “I shall return.” For the next two and a half years however, those left behind on Bataan a...

On January 14, 1951, right in the middle of the Korean War, Thurgood Marshall arrived in Japan as a special representative of the NAACP. He had been sent to meet with General MacArthur and to conduct an investigation into irregularities in the courts martial of thirty nine black soldiers. This podcast examines MacArthur and integration during the Korean War through the lens of the issues that brou...

Today, few people are aware of General Douglas MacArthur’s contributions to football. As a player, a devoted fan, and an advocate of the sport, MacArthur’s interest in football was both personal and professional. A competitor at heart, he just loved the game. As a leader, he recognized the practical benefit of football on leadership and citizenship. Summing up his feelings about football, MacArthu...

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States of America at Pearl Harbor. While December 7th is a date etched in the minds of many Americans, few are aware that a similar attack on American forces took place in the Philippines on December 8, 1941. At the time, General MacArthur was commander of US forces in the Philippines. This month we are going to...

Decades before Douglas MacArthur became a household name during World War II and the Korean War, his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr. achieved almost equal military fame during the Civil War. Although he was initially ridiculed by the men of his command at the beginning of his military career in 1862, by the time the Civil War ended he was a recognized war hero and a 20 year old Colonel, affectionatel...

On October 15, 1950, President Harry S. Truman and General Douglas MacArthur met on Wake Island. Five and a half years into Truman’s presidency, it was their first meeting. Given the extreme differences that ultimately emerged between both men, many look to the meeting at Wake Island for hints of the drama to come. This month’s podcast will address why the meeting took place and what actually happ...

The amphibious invasion at Inchon in September of 1950 was General MacArthur’s greatest battlefield triumph. It completely surprised the North Korean forces and altered the momentum of the Korean War. Although the invasion was ultimately successful, in the beginning there was little support for it and many were convinced that Inchon would be a disaster. This month, we take a look at how MacArthur...

On the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we take a look at MacArthur and the atomic bomb – how and when he found out about the bomb, what he knew about the potential targets, and how he reacted to its use on both cities. As with many things about MacArthur, his thoughts on the bomb were complex. Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can only...

This month, we take a look at the Bonus March of 1932 and MacArthur’s actions and decision making during this controversial event. In popular culture, MacArthur has played the role of villain of the Bonus March – he did after all help to evict homeless and jobless World War I veterans from Washington, D.C. where they had been pressing Congress for benefits. But is there more to the story? Have a c...