Reminiscences / Naval Institute Press (ePub)

Written in his own hand, and finished only weeks before his death, Reminiscences by General Douglas MacArthur spans more than half a century of modern history. These pages show a man whose unique vantage point at the center of the stage enabled him to illuminate major controversies of our time, and whose views and ideas - never before published in full - are now bound to bring new and unexpected reappraisals to the conflicts in which he himself was the central figure. Douglas MacArthur served under eight presidents. He was honored as few men have been. His genius for command, and his ability to implement that command by strategy, stand as landmarks in military history. No man was ever so outspoken in his commitment to his troops or in his beliefs. A legend in his own lifetime, he was a man who aroused controversy, yet stood above the awe and the conflicts he inspired. Never before has one soldier's life so completely reflected a nation's military history. After graduation from West Point with the highest average ever achieved by a cadet, MacArthur served in Vera Cruz during the Mexican uprisings and then as military attache in the Far East, where he first perceived Japanese aspirations for hegemony the Orient. His courage in the trenches and his leadership of the famous Rainbow Division during the First World War were cited by General Pershing, who seven times awarded MacArthur the Silver Star.