MacArthur Memorial Podcast

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...