In September 1950, the young American general MacArthur was appointed commander-in-chief of the United Nations Forces. At that time, he led the world's most elite troops to the Inchon region of the Korean Peninsula. Then, smoking a pipe and wearing sunglasses, he declared with great vigor and arrogance: "Before Christmas, we will definitely end this war!" ”
The war that MacArthur called the Korean War and what we call the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. At that time, MacArthur was also the youngest and most promising general in the United States. It is said that at that time, even the Emperor of Japan would act cringe when he saw him. There is also the President of the United States, Truman, who wants to see him only to come to visit him in person.
First, the pain behind the merits
At that time, MacArthur must not have imagined that a battle that he thought could be easily ended would become an indelible stain on his military life. On the Korean battlefield, MacArthur was no longer a legend on the battlefield, and he had nothing to do in front of the Chinese Volunteers. It was for this reason that his commander-in-chief was removed after only one year.
In fact, MacArthur would have such an encounter, and it was not surprising. Although he has a wealth of military theory and combat experience, and he leads the most elite troops in the world, he is facing the world's most resolute Chinese army.
It was an army of steel, and it would be hard for anyone to truly crush them unless God came with an iron helmet to fight. MacArthur's loss to the Chinese Volunteers was not a shameful thing. However, at the same time, it was precisely because of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that MacArthur's name was widely circulated in China.
MacArthur was born in the early 1980s, and his father was also a very good high-ranking general. By 1880, his father, Arthur MacArthur, was already a high-ranking general in the United States. As a second-generation military officer, MacArthur was never less protected by his father since he was a child.
At the age of 19, MacArthur was admitted to the world's best military academy, the U.S. Army Officer School, which we call West Point. At this time, MacArthur was in full swing, handsome and spirited like a prince.
MacArthur was full of expectations for a future life, but his mother was full of worries. His mother worries that her son will not take good care of himself and that he will be influenced by others to become a leper. So she traveled thousands of miles from her hometown to West Point, rented a house near the school, and began a two-year study life.
MacArthur's mother had such concerns because of the reputation of West Point. At the time, West Point was always mixed. On the one hand, it did train many excellent generals for the world anti-fascist war. Not only that, but most of the follow-up forces in the political and business circles of the US military have also come out of here.
On the other hand, West Point, as a military academy, has a special atmosphere that other schools do not have. The students' fights were ignored by the instructors and seniors. In their view, the law of survival in this world is the law of survival, and if it is not exercised, it will be killed on the battlefield.
MacArthur worked hard during his studies at West Point, both theoretically and practically. During the years he studied at West Point, MacArthur was one of the best. Because of his outstanding grades, MacArthur was almost never bullied by his classmates and seniors during his studies. But even so, he went to court for bullying.
Transcript of the interrogation: Two trembling strands and sweating profusely
One day in January 1901, MacArthur became a court witness. "Mr. MacArthur, please answer me, why did Mr. Buzi die?" Was he bullied by classmates during his lifetime? If so, who was involved in the incident? ”
Faced with a barrage of questions from the judge, MacArthur felt a heartfelt fear. At this moment, he has long since lost his former vigor, and to be above the courtroom, he can only try his best to maintain a fair sitting posture.
Few people knew at the time that his legs had been trembling uncontrollably. After the judge stopped asking questions, MacArthur kept thinking about how to answer. Prompted by the tension, beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Buz was MacArthur's better classmate and was forced to drop out of school because of bullying by his classmates. Shortly after dropping out of school, Buzi suffered from a serious lung disease due to psychological and physical problems. He died soon after. After learning of What happened to Buzi before his death, his family filed a direct complaint and took West Point to court along with the perpetrators.
My father was a general
The young MacArthur had never faced such symptoms, and he did not know how to answer the questions the judge had asked. Although he knew the answers to these questions, he could not say them. Once he answered, it would have a huge impact on West Point.
For a soldier, betrayal can never be forgiven. As a student at West Point, MacArthur, if he replied truthfully in front of the judge, he would inevitably discredit West Point. In a way, it's also a betrayal. Once he chooses betrayal, he will lose his great future.
But if MacArthur had chosen to remain silent, he would have been condemned in conscience. Buzi is his good brother, and now the good brother died of illness due to bullying, and he knows the truth but refuses to testify for him, which is really unconscionable!
In this way, MacArthur fell into endless entanglements. As the minutes and seconds passed, the judge continued to press for answers from him. Confused, MacArthur looked at his mother, who was sitting in the audience. In his mother's eyes, he saw trust and encouragement.
Immediately after, the mother wrote a note, which she presented to MacArthur. After reading the contents of the note, MacArthur quickly regained his senses. He let out a long sigh and then calmly announced 4 names.
These 4 people are the people who used to bully Buzi in school. At the same time, this is also the answer that both the school and the judge know, and all four of them have been ordered to withdraw from school. The judge was still asking questions, and MacArthur had no choice but to plead bitterly: "Please, I am willing to accept any punishment, but I hope that you will not take off my uniform." ”
However, this did not seem to work well in court, and in a hurry, MacArthur had to call out his father's name. At that time, MacArthur's father, Arthur, was a figure known to everyone in the country, and he was a great general who was distinguished and loved by the United States. At the time, Arthur was also the Governor-General of the Philippines.
So after MacArthur said his father's name, everyone in the audience was shocked. In order to give the Governor-General of the Philippines a face, the judge did not continue to question MacArthur. Since then, no one has dared to embarrass him. MacArthur's military career after macArthur also began a brilliant journey.
Fourth, blue is better than blue
Although MacArthur did not rely on his father's aura, on the whole, MacArthur himself was also very hardworking. When he graduated from West Point, his grades were first in the school. At the same time, he was also the first captain of the school. Such an honorary title is still very rare in the history of West Point.
It was because of his background at West Point that MacArthur had the opportunity to emerge during World War 1. Due to MacArthur's outstanding performance on the battlefield in France, his name gradually spread among the military. But the story between MacArthur and West Point didn't end there.
General March at the time wanted to make some reforms to West Point in response to the development of the times. However, this matter is completely impossible to do with his own strength alone. So he set his sights on MacArthur, an outstanding alumnus.
After meeting MacArthur, he explained his intentions directly to MacArthur. In the face of the brash General March, MacArthur also agreed bluntly. "Corporal punishment at West Point must be abolished!" MacArthur was also very much in favor of this.
After becoming president of the Military Academy at West Point, MacArthur underwent a radical reform. At that time, in order to cope with the needs of World War I, West Point was once a short training course. In the absence of a systematic management system, schools are almost paralyzed.
To help West Point regain its former prosperity, MacArthur allowed students to smoke and read books on campus and gave them a monthly stipend. In addition, MacArthur delegated the training tasks to the instructors. In his view, the instructors are far more mature and stable than the seniors, and there will be no bullying of students.
At that time, MacArthur also wanted to reduce the school system from 4 years to 3 years, but due to excessive pressure, this idea was not implemented. In addition, MacArthur carefully designed a syllabus for the various courses at West Point. However, this syllabus was not successfully implemented until after the graduation of the "war class".
Thanks to MacArthur's efforts to reform, west point's reputation and reputation gradually improved. In this regard, the state has also given more attention and recognition to the West Point Military Academy. As the youngest principal in the history of West Point, MacArthur is also the well-deserved "founder of modern military education", opening a new chapter in the cause of military education.
epilogue
MacArthur's life was full of controversy, largely stemming from some of his experiences. But one thing is absolutely unquestionable: MacArthur led west point to achieve rapid development, and also ushered in a new era of modern militarized education!