General Douglas MacArthur delivered his farewell address to Congress on this historic day, April 19, 1951, uttering the famous phrase: “Old soldiers never die; they simply disappear. »
Eight days before the speech, MacArthur had been dismissed as a general in the United States Army by President Harry S. Truman, effectively ending his storied military career.
“I am ending my 52 years of military service,” MacArthur said in his speech, available on the Library of Congress website.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, APRIL 18, 1934, THE FIRST SELF-OPERATED “WASHATERIA” OPENED IN FT. VALUE, TEXAS
“When I joined the military, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all my childhood hopes and dreams,” he also said.
“The world has turned upside down many times since I took the oath of office at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have all since faded,” MacArthur said, “but I still remember the chorus of one of the ballads of “The most popular barracks of that time, which most proudly proclaimed that old soldiers never die, they just disappear.”
General Douglas MacArthur, former Allied commander – first in World War II and then in Korea – seen here delivering his farewell address to a joint session of Congress. (Corbis via Getty Images)
MacArthur was referring to an old military ballad, “Old Soldiers Never Die,” the Library of Congress said.
“And like the old soldier in that ballad, I now end my military career and disappear, an old soldier who tried to do his duty when God gave him the light to see that duty,” MacArthur said.
“Goodbye,” he then said.
MacArthur's dismissal came after repeated clashes with Truman over strategy during the Korean War, according to the website for the PBS documentary series “American Excellence.”
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The general did not approve of Truman's strategy for the conflict, instead seeking to engage in a more intense war in Asia in order to stem the spread of communism.
“No soldier has ever captured the American imagination like Douglas MacArthur. He led Americans into battle for half a century, through glorious victories and mind-numbing defeats,” PBS said.
“Courageous and supremely selfish, he fought against all who dared to question his military judgment, even the President of the United States,” he added.
General Douglas MacArthur in Berlin, photograph taken July 9, 1932. (Image/Getty Images)
MacArthur, born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1880, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1903, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
In 1937, MacArthur retired from the United States Army.
However, four years later the situation in the Pacific worsened and the then American Commonwealth of the Philippines was threatened by the still rampant Japanese forces.
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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt brought MacArthur out of retirement, designating him general in charge of the newly created U.S. armed forces in the Far East, Fox News Digital previously noted. r
While MacArthur served honorably and faithfully, he was forced to flee the Philippines for his own safety on March 11, 1942.
General Douglas MacArthur was seen walking down Broadway in New York during his official welcome to the city, after being relieved of his commands in Asia by President Harry Truman. (Keystone/Getty Images)
On June 30, 1942, in Melbourne, MacArthur was awarded the Medal of Honor for “his conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for his gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in the action against the invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula,” the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website said.
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“He mobilized, trained and led an army that received worldwide fame for its valiant defense against the enormous superiority of enemy forces in men and weapons,” this website also notes.
“His complete disregard for personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgment in every crisis inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people and confirmed the faith of the American people in their armed forces,” added the quote. .
Republican groups tried “in vain” to secure MacArthur's nomination for president.
In 1944, 1948 and 1952, Republican groups attempted “in vain” to secure MacArthur's nomination for president, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica website.
“MacArthur accepted the chairmanship of the board of directors of Remington Rand Corporation in 1952,” this site notes.
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Except for his duties related to his role with Remington Rand and his “rare public appearances”, MacArthur “lived in seclusion” in New York.
He died in Washington, DC, in 1964.
He was buried in Norfolk, Virginia, the Encyclopedia Britannica also states.