| Author |
Topic: Photo of General MacArthur aboard PT-490 |
|
Frank J Andruss Sr
TOP BOSS
|
  
 Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 9:05am
|
According to some, MacArthur was a pompus ass, with a chip on his shoulder. Rumor has it that when Lt. John D. Bulkeley took him from the Philippines to escape the Jspanese forces, high ranking officials were upset that he was not left there. He made many enemies during his tenure, and stole the thuder from those whose ideas were put onto paper. Case in point. The leapfrogging idea to leave the Japs starve on the vine, and bypass certain Islands in the Pacific was not his idea, but was the direct brain-child of Admiral Nimitz.
It was said that during the time MacArthur was on the Rock, with Jap forces only miles away, that he never visited the troops, but choose instead to stay in his dugout. This is where he gor the nickname DUG-OUT-DOUG. When he came back to liberate the Philippines, not many even knew that he owned many homes in the area, and refused to allow the Naval Ships to contimue huring shells for fear his area would be left in ruins. Now, I do not base my comments on anything other then speaking with Navy and Army Veterans over the years, who were there. It was said that the Navy Boys hated the General, but again I base this on conversations with several WWII VETS. I do not think you will find these types of comments in the History Books as Americans were lead to believe that the General walked on water. Many homes had his picture in them during the War years. Maybe those PT BOAT Vets on our message board can add to my commentary...........
|
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined:
Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am | IP
Logged
|
|
newsnerd99
New Member
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 9:21am
|
My grandfather wasn't a fan...for many of the reasons Frank mentioned. I remember the term "jackass" thrown about.
One reason that is semi-personal to our family (and many families of WWI vets) was the WWI bonus and the "Bonus Army." I think it is an uncle or a cousin on the family tree who served in the Army in France. I'll leave out the editorializing and instead post part of a wikipedia entry on the event, and then you can decide how much of an ass he was (oops. Sorry, a little editorializing.) Read the whole entry to get the back story...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army
"At 4:45 p.m., commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the 12th Infantry Regiment, Fort Howard, Maryland, and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, supported with six battle tanks commanded by Maj. George S. Patton, Fort Myer, Virginia, formed in Pennsylvania Avenue while thousands of Civil Service employees left work to line the street and watch the U.S. Army attack its own veterans. The Bonus Marchers, believing the display was in their honour, cheered the troops until Maj. Patton charged the cavalry against them — to which action the Civil Service employee spectators yelled: "Shame! Shame!" against the charging cavalry.
"After the cavalry charge, infantry, with fixed bayonets and adamsite gas, entered the Bonus Army camps, evicting veterans, families, and camp followers. The veterans fled across the Anacostia River, to their largest camp; President Hoover ordered the Army assault stopped, however, Gen. MacArthur—feeling this free-speech exercise was a Communist attempt at overthrowing the U.S. Government—ignored the President and re-attacked. Hundreds of veterans were injured, several were killed — including William Hushka and Eric Carlson; a veteran's wife miscarried; and many other veterans were hurt. The sight of armed U.S. Army soldiers attacking poor American veterans of the recent Great War later prompted formal veteran relief funds, and, eventually, establishment of the Veterans Administration. As member of Gen. MacArthur's staff, Dwight D. Eisenhower had strong reservations about routing the anti-Bonus Army.
"The Posse Comitatus Act — forbidding civilian police work by the U.S. military — did not apply to Washington, D.C., because it is the federal district directly governed by the U.S. Congress (U.S. Constitution, Article I. Section 8. Clause 17). The exemption was created because of an earlier "Bonus March". In 1781, most of the Continental Army was demobilised without pay, two years later, in 1783, hundreds of Pennsylvania war veterans marched on Philadelphia, surrounded the State House wherein Congress was in session, and demanded their pay. The U.S. Congress fled to Princeton, New Jersey, and, several weeks later, the U.S. Army expelled the war veterans back to home, out of the national capital."
And then there was Korea...which didn't earn him any points either...this is from Doug's wikipedia entry:
"In April 1951, MacArthur's habitual disregard of his superiors[32] led to a crisis. He sent a letter to Representative Joe Martin (R-Massachusetts), the House Minority Leader, disagreeing with President Truman's policy of limiting the Korean war to avoid a larger war with China. He also sent an ultimatum to the Chinese Army which destroyed President Truman's cease-fire efforts. This, and similar letters and statements, were seen by Truman as a violation of the American constitutional principle that military commanders are subordinate to civilian leadership, and usurpation of the President's authority to make foreign policy. MacArthur had ignored this principle out of necessity while SCAP in Japan. MacArthur at this time had not been back to the United States for eleven years.[33]
"By this time President Truman decided MacArthur was insubordinate, and relieved him of command on April 11, 1951, leading to a storm of controversy.[32] MacArthur was succeeded by General Matthew Ridgway, and eventually by General Mark Wayne Clark, who signed the armistice which ended the Korean War."
'nuff said.
Grandson of James J Stanton
RON 15 PT 209 and RON 23 PT 243
Check out: www.pistolpackinmama.net
|
Total Posts: | Joined:
Unregistered | IP
Logged
|
|
Will Day
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 1:16pm
|
Good military mind, huge ego, good "politician"......
Will |
Total Posts: 1955 | Joined:
Oct 8, 2006 - 4:19pm | IP
Logged
|
|
QM
New Member
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 6:20pm
|
Why do we have so much bad mouthing of General MacArthur and so much praise of Jack Kennedy on the same message board. If you look at the record, Kennedy accomplished little with PT's, but his father's political influence made a legend of his loss of the 109. For the record, I do not believe that Kennedy was negligent in the loss of his boat. I have seen the total blackness on many patrols.
Regarding Adm. Halsey, he was not in any command position in the SW Pacific. The Seventh Fleet was under General MacArthur's command. The Pacific fleet was under Adm. Nimitz' command. |
Total Posts: | Joined:
Unregistered | IP
Logged
|
|
Russ Blaise
New Member
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 7:25pm
|
| I think maybe Army personnel had a different view of MacArthur. Yes I believe they thought he was a pompous ass and had a big ego but that sometimes what it takes to run a big war. The men under him respected him even though he would not usually speak to enlisted men. |
Total Posts: | Joined:
Unregistered | IP
Logged
|
|
Russ Blaise
New Member
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 7:26pm
|
The Alamo Scouts sometimes would be used to be his bodyguard. Here is a photograph of Alamo Scout, Galen Kittleson (far right) on special assignment with General Douglas MacArthur at Bataan, Luzon, P.I. 1945.
 |
Total Posts: | Joined:
Unregistered | IP
Logged
|
|
 |
Michael |
MASTER
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 10:10pm
|
Thanks everyone,
I can see there are many differing opinions of the man.But i suppose thats what makes a good leader,unfortunately they cant please all of the people,all of the time,and there not there to make friends,just do the best that they can to serve their country and make a difference.
Good on ya Fellas
Michael |
Total Posts: 218 | Joined:
Aug 6, 2007 - 7:25pm | IP
Logged
|
|
| |
Michael |
MASTER
|
Posted on: Aug 8, 2008 - 10:12pm
|
Thanks everyone,
I can see there are many differing opinions of the man.But i suppose thats what makes a good leader,unfortunately they cant please all of the people,all of the time,and there not there to make friends,just do the best that they can to serve their country and make a difference.
Good on ya Fellas
Michael |
Total Posts: 218 | Joined:
Aug 6, 2007 - 7:25pm | IP
Logged
|
|
Frank J Andruss Sr
TOP BOSS
|
Posted on: Aug 9, 2008 - 6:57am
|
Hello QM
Although so much contraversy surrounds KENNEDY and PT 109, there is no doubt that because of his Father and his political influence, PT BOATS certainly were in the public eye. It brought new found fame to the work PT BOATS did during WWII, and because of the movie, many hundreds of thousands remembered the boats. I for one was one of those who never even knew what a PT BOAT was until watching it as a young 10 year old.
Now at the ripe age of 52, it was because of KENNEDY that my passion for the boats became so highlighted in my life. As far as bashing MacArthur, I was just passing along those thoughts served to me by our WWII Vets. What did you think of the man?........
|
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined:
Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am | IP
Logged
|
|
QM
New Member
|
Posted on: Aug 9, 2008 - 7:22pm
|
Was General Mac the most influential person during WWlI in promoting PT boats? In 1942 Mac was ordered to leave the Philippines along with Adm. Rockwell and other staff officers. The original plan was to evacuate by submarine, but that proved impractical. Mac and his party was then transported from Corregidor to northern Mindanio by Lt. Bulkeley's PT boats. From there they were flown to Australia. Later, Mac ordered Bulkeley to Australia. Bulkeley then returned to the states with a message from Mac. the following is from At Close Quarters.
Motor Torpedo boats should be the basis of a separate branch of the service for specialists, and who must have confidence in their own weapons. These boats can be used effectively for coastal defense 200 or 300 miles offshore, in the Philippine Islands, straits, narrows, and potential blocks. There is no other location such as the Philippine Islands and the islands south of the Philippines where they can be so effectively used. with enough of this type of craft, hostile Japanese shipping could be kept from invading an island or continent , and kept 200 to 300 miles offshore. I want 100 or more MTB's here of your type together with improvements which have been developed since the outbreak of war. Two hundred boats if possible with the tenders, spare parts, and equipment necessary for them within eight months.
A few years ago one of my neighbors, a retired captain, loaned me his book regarding MacArthur's trip from Corregidor to Australia. If my memory is correct the title is They Were Expendable. I had never read the book. I believe that I saw the movie in October of 1945 while on temporary duty at Navy Dept Headquarters in Washington, DC. The book is probably more realistic than the movie.
The story of MacArthur's escape from Corregidor in 1942 was well known at that time. PT's received a lot of favorable publicity early in the war. It may well have been the inspiration for many officers and enlisted men to sigh up for PT duty.
Without MacArthur's support we may not have seen much of PT's
I will end with one of our old sayings--stick with Mac and you will never get back. [we sometimes showed little respect for rank] |
Total Posts: | Joined:
Unregistered | IP
Logged
|
|
|
