Monday, April 14, 2008

Phillipine Campaign

I am currently taking a Korean War class alongside with this class and I have to say that both of these class have shown MacArthur as a arrogant, sometime ignorant person. It seems as though reputation, stature, and prestige are his motivating factors rather than actually caring about what is going on in the war. The story today shows this. He made sure that there were plenty of photographers and filmers watching is arrival on to the island. Another story I have heard comes from my Korean War class. During the Korean War MacArthur and President Wilson were to land on an island in the Pacific in order to meet to discuss the war. MacArthur told his pilot to make sure that he landed last in order for it to seem that Wilson was coming to greet him and meet with him rather than the other way around. I am sure that he was qualified for his position, but at times it looks like he cares far more about other things than war.

3 comments:

Maria Gonzalez said...

Many of the generals who plan in wars also plan for politics. In fact some of them become presidents. How they looked could help determine where they would go in their futures. MacArthur created an image for himself, and it was not the image that we know today.

Justin Sadowski said...

This is very true. Much like Montegomery, Macarthur had many personal vanities as well as a decent grasp of battles. Both were great generals, but not all the time. And I believe Macarthur was meeting with President Truman, not Wilson, but you can check me on that.

Dawn Frey said...

Politics are very much a part of war. Eisenhower seems to be an accurate example of that. He may have been an excellent tactician, but he unified the troops as well, with much success. You don't do that without being a politician. I'm not convinced he did it for personal gain however.