Gen. Douglas MacArthur delivered his farewell address to Congress on today in historical past, April 19, 1951, uttering the well-known line, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
Eight days earlier than the speech, MacArthur had been relieved of his duties as general of the U.S. Army by President Harry S. Truman — placing an finish to his storied navy profession.
“I am closing my 52 years of military service,” mentioned MacArthur within the speech, which is on the market on the Library of Congress web site.
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“When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams,” he additionally.
“The world has turned over many times since I took the oath at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have all since vanished,” MacArthur mentioned, “but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barracks ballads of that day, which proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
Basic Douglas MacArthur, former commander of Allied forces — first in World Warfare II after which in Korea — seen right here delivering his farewell tackle to a joint session of Congress. (Corbis by way of Getty Photographs)
MacArthur was referring to an previous military ballad, “Old Soldiers Never Die,” mentioned the Library of Congress.
“And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty,” mentioned MacArthur.
“Goodbye,” he then mentioned.
MacArthur’s dismissal got here after repeated clashes with Truman concerning technique in the Korean War, in line with the web site for the PBS documentary collection “American Excellence.”
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The overall didn’t approve of Truman’s technique for the battle, looking for as an alternative to interact in a extra intense war in Asia with a purpose to stem the unfold of communism.
“No soldier has ever captured the American imagination like Douglas MacArthur. He led Americans into combat for a half-century, through glorious victories and soul-numbing defeats,” mentioned PBS.
“Courageous and supremely egotistical, he battled anyone who dared question his military judgment — even the president of the United States,” it additionally mentioned.
Basic Douglas MacArthur in Berlin, {photograph} taken on July 9, 1932. (Imagno/Getty Photographs)
MacArthur, who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880, graduated from the U.S. Navy Academy West Level in 1903, as Fox Information Digital beforehand reported.
In 1937, MacArthur retired from the U.S. Military.
4 years later, nonetheless, the scenario within the Pacific worsened and the then-U.S. Commonwealth of the Philippines was threatened by the ever-creeping Japanese forces.
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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt plucked MacArthur out of retirement, designating him the final in command of the newly created United States Military Forces within the Far East, Fox Information Digital famous beforehand. r
Whereas MacArthur served honorably and faithfully, he was forced to flee the Philippines for his personal security on March 11, 1942.
Basic Douglas MacArthur seen driving down Broadway, in New York Metropolis, throughout his official welcome to town, having been relieved of his Asia instructions by President Harry Truman. (Keystone/Getty Photographs)
On June 30, 1942, in Melbourne, MacArthur was offered with the Medal of Honor 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,” mentioned the Congressional Medal of Honor Society web site.
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“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,” that web site additionally famous.
“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,” the quotation added.
Republican teams tried “in vain” to acquire MacArthur’s nomination for the presidency.
In 1944, 1948 and 1952, Republican teams tried “in vain” to acquire MacArthur’s nomination for the presidency, in line with the Encyclopedia Britannica web site.
“MacArthur accepted the board chairmanship of the Remington Rand Corporation in 1952,” that website notes.
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Apart from duties related to his position with Remington Rand and “rare public appearances,” MacArthur “lived in seclusion” in New York Metropolis.
He died in Washington, D.C., in 1964.
He was buried in Norfolk, Virginia, Encyclopedia Britannica additionally says.
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