General Douglas MacArthur delivered his farewell speech to Congress on this historic day on April 19, 1951, uttering the famous line, “Old soldiers never die. They just fade away.”
Eight days before the speech, MacArthur was relieved of his commission as a general in the U.S. Army by President Harry S. Truman, ending his storied military career.
In his speech, MacArthur said, “I am ending 52 years of military service.” The speech is available for viewing on the Library of Congress website.
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“When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the realization of all my childhood hopes and dreams,” he said.
“The world has been turned upside down many times since I took the oath at West Point. Every hope and dream has disappeared since then,” MacArthur said. He most proudly proclaimed that old soldiers never die, they just fade away. ”
General Douglas MacArthur, commander of Allied forces first in World War II and then in Korea, is delivering his farewell address to a joint session of Congress. (Corbis, via Getty Images)
According to the Library of Congress, MacArthur was referring to the old military ballad “Old Soldiers Never Die.”
“And like the old soldier in that ballad, I too have now finished my military career and just fade away. An old soldier who tried to fulfill his duty as God gave him the light to understand it. ,” MacArthur said.
“Goodbye,” he said.
According to the website for the PBS documentary series “American Excellence,” MacArthur’s firing came after repeated clashes with Truman over Korean War strategy.
On this day in history, March 11, 1942, MacArthur leaves the Philippines, vowing to return home.
The generals did not approve of Truman’s conflict strategy and instead sought to wage a more violent war in Asia to stop the spread of communism.
PBS said, “No soldier has captured the American imagination more than Douglas MacArthur. He led Americans into combat for half a century through glorious victories and soul-numbing defeats.”
“Courageous and fiercely selfish, he fought against anyone who dared question his military judgment, even the president of the United States.”
General Douglas MacArthur in Berlin, photo taken on July 9, 1932. (Imano/Getty Images)
As Fox News Digital previously reported, MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1903.
MacArthur retired from the U.S. Army in 1937.
But four years later, the situation in the Pacific deteriorated, and the Philippines, then part of the American Commonwealth of Nations, came under threat from a creeping Japanese army.
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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt plucked MacArthur out of retirement and appointed him in charge of the newly created U.S. Army Far East, Fox News Digital previously noted. r
Despite serving honorably and faithfully, MacArthur was forced to flee the Philippines for his own safety on March 11, 1942.
General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of command in Asia by President Harry Truman and was seen riding his horse down Broadway in New York City during his official welcome to New York City. (Keystone/Getty Images)
On June 30, 1942, in Melbourne, MacArthur praised his “distinguished leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, his gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the invading Japanese forces, and his defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula.” heroic act,” the Congressional Medal of Honor Association website states.
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The website also said: “He mobilized, trained and led troops, earning worldwide acclaim for his courageous defense against enemy forces with overwhelming superiority in men and weapons.”
“His utter disregard for personal danger under intense gunfire and air strikes, and his calm judgment in each crisis inspired his troops, galvanized the Filipino people’s spirit of resistance, and the American people’s confidence in the military.” confirmed,” the quote added. .
Republican groups tried to secure MacArthur’s nomination for president, but to no avail.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica website, Republican groups tried “in vain” to secure MacArthur’s presidential nomination in 1944, 1948, and 1952.
“MacArthur accepted the position of chairman of the board of Remington Rand Corporation in 1952,” the site states.
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Except for duties related to his role at Remington Rand and “infrequent public appearances,” MacArthur lived a “reclusive life” in New York City.
He died in Washington, DC in 1964.
The Encyclopedia Britannica also states that he was buried in Norfolk, Virginia.
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