Why Did We Give Doug MacArthur a Medal of Honor...?

General General Discussion
1

It certainly wasn’t leadership, he escaped and left others behind to fight.

Bataan surrendered on 9 April, and Corregidor on 6 May. George Marshall decided that MacArthur would be awarded the Medal of Honor, a decoration for which he had twice previously been nominated, “to offset any propaganda by the enemy directed at his leaving his command”.

Eisenhower pointed out that MacArthur had not actually performed any acts of valor as required by law, but Marshall cited the 1927 award of the medal to Charles Lindbergh as a precedent. Special legislation had been passed to authorize Lindbergh’s medal, but while similar legislation was introduced authorizing the medal for MacArthur by Congressmen J. Parnell Thomas and James E. Van Zandt, Marshall felt strongly that a serving general should receive the medal from the President and the War Department.

MacArthur chose to accept it on the basis that “this award was intended not so much for me personally as it is a recognition of the indomitable courage of the gallant army which it was my honor to command”. Arthur and Douglas MacArthur thus became the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

The citation read:

“For conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula. He mobilized, trained, and led an army which has received world acclaim for its gallant defense against a tremendous superiority of enemy forces in men and arms. His utter disregard of personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgment in each crisis, inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people, and confirmed the faith of the American people in their Armed Forces.”

His father won his Medal of Honor under equally dubious conditions.

First Lieutenant, and Adjutant, 24th Wisconsin Infantry. Place and date: At Missionary Ridge, Tenn., November 25, 1863. Entered service at: Milwaukee, Wis. Birth: Springfield, Mass. Date of issue: June 30, 1890.

Citation:

Seized the colors of his regiment at a critical moment and planted them on the captured works on the crest of Missionary Ridge.

Using that criteria every man who raised a flag in Iwo Jima should have received a Medal of Honor.

Additionally given Doug’s participation in the attack on WWI veterans at the Bonus March should have precluded him from ever receiving such an honor. Believing it wrong for the Army’s highest-ranking officer to lead an action against fellow American war veterans, he strongly advised MacArthur against taking any public role: “I told that dumb son-of-a-bitch not to go down there,” he said later. “I told him it was no place for the Chief of Staff.” Despite his misgivings, Eisenhower later wrote the Army’s official incident report that endorsed MacArthur’s conduct.

Over 1,000 veteran protestors and their families were injured, including a pregnant woman who miscarried and two veterans were shot by police.

About the only thing MacArthur did effectively is serve as the last TRUE Emperor of Japan.

2

Another question: Why did our Country go with a “Europe First” strategy after being attacked by Japan? A lot of good soldiers were sacrificed (and I knew two Bataan Death March survivors) thanks to this decision.

3

My guess is Germany was more a threat to nation loss than Japan. I’m certain our attention would’ve shifted quickly if it wasn’t. I think militarily speaking technological advances by Germany was a big factor and they were fielding some serious hardware. I do think we are lucky from the standpoint of leadership pitfalls and manufacturing difficulties, otherwise we would’ve had a tough go.

Triage of wounds/threat one could say.

4

The European banking cabal of course.

5

Why Did We Give Doug MacArthur a Medal of Honor…?

I’m pretty sure at that point it was a political move. The Mac Arthur’s being a .mil legacy and the possibility that Mac Arthur would pursue a political career he could have become a political juggernaut against the Democrat party after the war. So I would guess this was some sort of appeasement, or an olive branch of sorts.
All of that would later mean nothing when Mac Arthur openly questioned Truman’s leadership abilities when he called for Nuking the Chinese in North Korea.
If there were General Officers worthy of the CMH for Leadership alone, I would guess Marshall, Eisenhower, even Bradley or Patton were more worthy by a full measure.
Patton though perhaps a much better Field Commander than all of those listed above, would have never earned the CMH under such conditions because of his unpopularity due to incidence of insubordination with Superiors and an assault on a subordinate.

Little did they know Eisenhower would become a Republican and step up to take up the political reins.

6

A little before my time, but both my parents served in the PTO for two years under MacArthur - my dad was an Army Captain and my mom was a Army nurse (that’s how they met). One or the other was in New Guinea, Hollandia, Layte, Luzon, Okinawa and Korea. A few more places I can’t remember. They all HATED MacArthur. With a passion.

I don’t remember the details, and it’s too late now to ask, but one story I remember was when we retook Manila, our forces were ordered to not destroy certain areas or propeties due to MacArthur’s financial interest in them, and this caused many US casualties.

They felt he was a showboat with more interest in his own image and reputation than with his men.

7

Because MacArthur was a “safe” General. He wasn’t “problematic” like Patton who had to be murked to keep the Allies from wiping out Communism from Leningrad to Beijing or Smedley Butler who could have no joke started an armed insurrection against the New Deal Democrats who lied about the “bonuses” and wooden nickels they’d been sold to fight for monopolies in shithole countries.

Can’t have the sheep knowing what’s up.

So some dude who smokes a corncob pipe and tries to rock Ray Bans has to be made a hero. His only “saving grace” is that ‘thanks’ to him; Japanese smut is a lot tamer than it would have been.

Weeeee

8

Grandpa invaded Luzon in the liberation. He then got called up for Korea in 1950, both were McArthur commands. My Grandmother had nothing good to say about McArthur.

As for the Europe first, the UK was teetering in 1941-42. The cross channel reach for the Nazis was 20 miles from France and the U Boats had the food stocks in Britain down to a matter of days. Alternatively, the closest to Australia was 350 miles for Japanese in 1942 and still nearly 3000 miles to the Mainland USA.

The undoing of the Axis Powers would ultimately be oil. The Pacific War was effectively triggered by the US oil embargo and eventually the Japanese war machine faltered due to fuel starvation, mostly by submarines and mines. The war against German oil was much more difficult because of the Axis domination of European land mass and internal transport of oil. The Germans invaded Russia mainly to control oil, which cost the Germans the war.

Why is that important? Because the Germans were much more of a threat. It was clear in 1940 that the distances in the Pacific and Indian Oceans were more than the Japanese could handle. That is why Churchill was reinforcing Singapore and India in Fall 1941, to provide just enough deterrence. The Brits had Rommel in North Africa and the fear of a second Sealion at the same time.

9

I have read several books on the Pacific theatre it is appalling the way our troops were lied to and abandoned in the early days post Pearl Harbor.

10

The rules and significance of the Medal of Honor changed between the Civil War and WWII. Awarding the medal to his father MAY have been appropriate.

I did not know Douglas McArthur was awarded the MoH.

Andy

11

We needed Russia and Russia wasn’t at war with Japan.

12

Yes it is. Perhaps the only thing worse is MacArthur giving Japanese war criminals a pass in numbers too large to understand. The names people could remember and pronounce (Tojo, Homma, etc.) stood trial and were executed but many went onto prominent post war careers including government positions unlike their German counterparts.

The only true justice served in Japan was at Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the fire bombing of Tokyo. But the people mostly responsible for the war and related atrocities often lived much better than your average Japanese citizen, especially in post war Japan.

13

I suspect there is a lot of truth in this statement.

In my informal studies of WW2, I’ve come to think that I would rather have served in Admiral Nimitz’s command than Dugout Doug’s (not that the average soldier had a choice). I suspect that FDR gave the MOH to MacArthur to avoid unnecessary conflict with him. FDR strikes me as a “big picture” guy and 1942 was not the time to clean house (the Bonus March debacle should have been enough though).

President Truman was right in firing him.

14

As far as the medals go till WWI there wasn’t all of the others. Purple Heart, MOH. The various crosses were regularly given for service, Navy Cross for salvage divers. In the Civil War there was only one medal for valor or service. I think they also looked at the award somehow raising morale back home as we needed heroes to support the war effort.

15

When I was a kid I got a book about the Congressional Medal of Honor and it listed every recipient as well as the circumstances and I was always stunned by the arbitrary way they were awarded in the Civil War for things that probably wouldn’t merit a Bronze Star w/ V device in the second World War. Seems it wasn’t until WWI that it started to be reserved for the likes of Alvin York and it became a BFD award.

I just think of all the people who truly did “above and beyond” actions from Jack Lucas to Audie Murphy and I still wonder WTF were we thinking giving one to such a pompous ass as MacArthur for doing nothing more than bugging out and leaving more than a few guys behind. Had he stayed in the Philippines, or at least stayed until the last possible moment, directing the resistance and evacuation I could understand it. But he was never in any real danger and didn’t do too damn much to advance the war in the Pacific.

Nimitz is the one who was in harms way at Coral Sea and Midway and won. He’s the one who kicked the Japanese Navy asses all the way back to the home islands allowing Marines to take island after island finally landing at Okinawa, but no MOH for leadership for him.

16

I find it hard to see the justification for awarding anyone above O-6 the MOH. I have seen and read of good soldiers who earn the MOH, then later reach O-7 and above. In my opinion, the award should be reserved for anyone in the fight, not someone commanding the fight remotely.

Some of the general staff I have worked under (not all) deserve nothing more than a Laurel and Hearty Handshake for their leadership. One exception was “The Bear”, Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. IMHO, he was a general who felt more at ease shooting the shit with his subordinates. Rank didn’t matter to him.

17

Doug MacArthur had a bigger ego than Patton and Montgomery combined. He was a pompous ass. Everything was always about him. He used his position for financial gain. A lot of what he was doing in Korea was positioning himself to run for President. Truman torpedoed that. He was the last true emperor of Japan. Again, setting himself up financially. To this day, one can spot his silhouette all over Japan, on the sides of vending machines with the “Boss” label. “Boss” being what he liked to be called while in Japan.

18

Would depend, if they lead from the front that is a different thing. Patton put his ass in harms way more often than MacArthur, and as much as Patton was another ego driven ahole who participated in the attack on the Bonus Army, I could live with him getting the MoH as his leadership was decisive and ultimately saved lives. But I’d have hated to serve under him.

19

Interestingly, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (son of President Theodore Roosevelt) was the only general officer to land at Normandy with the first wave of the amphibious assault, the only general officer who had a son also land at Normandy with the first wave of troops, and the oldest man to participate in the assault. He was 56, had a heart condition, and arthritis, and had to walk with the assistance of a cane. And it was a heart attack that did BrigGen Roosevelt in, in July of '44.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor:

For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt’s written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France.

(Of note: BrigGen Roosevelt did not get along with Patton, as Roosevelt was unfond of Patton’s spit-and-polish approach to appearance in the field.)

20

What’s with all the hate against Supreme Allied Commander -General Douglas MacArthur?