Duty. Honor. Country.

The annals of history have much to teach us if we are only willing to stop a moment and study the pages that contain stories of battles valiantly fought, lessons vividly learned , and lives victoriously lived.  One exceptionally vibrant portion in these chronicles takes us through the turn of the century (19^th-20^th, that is), through World Wars I & II, and into the post-war recovery. We’d be hard-pressed to find a man as influential as Douglas MacArthur was in the events all across the globe that took place during this pivotal time in our world. Here is a man who took his US Military Academy motto seriously and gave it wings, “Duty. Honor. Country.”

I just finished reading a biography on his life by Mitchell Yockelson entitled, MacArthur: America’s General, part of a new series on America’s generals. This book drew me right in as I found out about his childhood being raised in a military family (his father, Arthur MacArthur rose to the rank of general and also earned the Army’s highest recognition, the Medal of Honor), his dealing with the deaths of both his brothers at relatively young ages, going through West Point, his love for sports (and involvement in the 1928 US Olympic Committee), and his foreign deployments in the Pacific as a commissioned Army officer. The author was able to bring in a few quotes of the general’s to give authenticity to the stories and descriptions of life as it was for Douglas. I would have enjoyed reading even more quotations or excerpts from his speeches, as he was a prolific communicator.

One adage that shaped Douglas’s outlook on life was passed down to him from his grandfather: “You must also be a gentleman and scholar, and above all else, honorable.” This Douglas took to heart and earned top honors in Military Academy and graduated first in his class at West Point. He was rewarded with many key positions throughout his lifetime, many of which had never come to anyone younger. He was called upon to lead troops into battle, strategize tactical maneuvers for the entire Pacific fleet, bring social and political reform to broken and needy countries in the Far East, and advise many Presidents on military affairs. MacArthur was not afraid to stand his ground against anybody—even when his direct authority, the President, gave specific orders. This eventually led to his being relieved of military duty after 52 years in the service. He came home to a hero’s welcome.

Statue of General Douglas MacArthur in front of the MacArthur Memorial.

This week my travels brought me to the Norfolk, Virginia area where the city has a huge memorial dedicated to the general’s lifetime of service to his country. I had the privilege of spending an afternoon there seeing the memorabilia firsthand, reading further about life during the wars for him and his men, and hearing clips from many of his famous speeches. It was a moving experience to see how one life lived with passion for his duty, conviction to be honorable, and love for Country was able to affect the course of history—even my history.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of MacArthur: America’s General through Book Sneeze, in exchange for my honest review.