Douglas MacArthur Born in Little Rock

Summary

Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880, at the military post in Little Rock, Arkansas, into a U.S. Army family. He graduated first in his class from the United States Military Academy in 1903 and began a military career spanning more than five decades. MacArthur served in the Philippines and Mexico before becoming a senior combat commander in World War I. He later served as superintendent of West Point and chief of staff of the U.S. Army. In the years before World War II, he helped organize the Philippine Army. Recalled to active U.S. service in 1941, MacArthur commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific, oversaw campaigns through New Guinea and the Philippines, and accepted Japan’s surrender in 1945. He then directed the Allied occupation of Japan. During the Korean War, he commanded United Nations forces until President Harry Truman relieved him in 1951 after disagreements over strategy and civilian control of military policy.