{"id":2357215,"date":"2024-10-20T12:29:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-20T16:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-have-returned-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-wwii-pledge-80-years-ago\/"},"modified":"2024-10-20T12:31:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-20T16:31:55","slug":"i-have-returned-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-wwii-pledge-80-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-have-returned-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-wwii-pledge-80-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;I Have Returned&#8217;: MacArthur Fulfilled Famous WWII Pledge 80 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fi-have-returned-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-wwii-pledge-80-years-ago%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2357215&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The passage provides a detailed account of General Douglas MacArthur&#8217;s famous pledge to return to the Philippines during World War II, illustrating the dramatic events leading\u200c to and following\u200b that promise. Here\u2019s a brief \u2062summary of the key points:<\/p>\n<p>1. **MacArthur&#8217;s Departure**: In\u200d March \u200b1942, facing overwhelming Japanese \u2064forces, General MacArthur evacuated\u2064 Corregidor with his family and staff, narrowly escaping to Australia.<\/p>\n<p>2. \u2063**Famous Pledge**: Upon arriving in Australia, MacArthur declared, \u2063&#8221;I shall return,&#8221;\u200c capturing\u2063 the hopes of both Americans and Filipinos who were suffering under Japanese occupation.<\/p>\n<p>3. **Bataan \u2063Death March**: After MacArthur\u2019s departure, the Philippines fell to Japanese control, leading to the brutal\u2062 Bataan Death March, where \u2062thousands of American and Filipino soldiers perished.<\/p>\n<p>4. **Reinforcement Efforts**: Over the following years,\u2064 MacArthur organized campaigns in New\u2064 Guinea and other regions, gradually building the strength\u200c needed to reclaim the Philippines.<\/p>\n<p>5. **Return to the Philippines**: On\u2063 October 20, 1944, MacArthur fulfilled his \u200cpromise by landing on Leyte Island, where he \u2063famously \u2063announced, &#8220;People of\u2063 the Philippines: I have \u2064returned.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>6. **Liberation Campaign**: Following his return, MacArthur\u200d led the campaign\u200c that liberated the Philippines from\u2064 Japanese forces and eventually oversaw the Japanese surrender in 1945.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b pledge and its fulfillment became symbolic moments in the war, representing hope and resilience both for the Filipinos and Americans \u200dinvolved in the conflict.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_5)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_6)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_7)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_8)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Gen. Douglas MacArthur established his place as a World War II icon 80 years ago when he waded onto a Philippine beach on Oct. 20, 1944.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/75-years-ago-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-pledge-made-triumphant-wwii-return-philippines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moment<\/a> had been two and a half years in the making.<\/p>\n<p>The proud future five-star general had been heartsick when President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered him to relinquish his command and escape from the Philippines to Australia in the spring of 1942 to organize the Allied counteroffensive against the Japanese.<\/p>\n<p>MacArthur&rsquo;s ties to the Philippines went back to his earliest days in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in 1903. He had returned to the archipelago multiple times throughout his decades-long career.<\/p>\n<p>When he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenmusa.org\/biographies\/douglas-macarthur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">retired<\/a> from the Army in 1937, he became field marshal of the military of the Philippines, then a commonwealth territory of the United States, slated to receive full independence in 1946.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>But with the storm clouds of war with Japan forming, FDR recalled MacArthur to active duty in the U.S. Army in the summer of 1941, naming him commander of the U.S. Forces in the Far East, based in Manila.<\/p>\n<p>On Dec. 8, 1941, the Japanese struck the Philippines only hours after hitting Pearl Harbor and with the same devastating effect, destroying most of the American air power and naval forces stationed there.<\/p>\n<p>Soon thereafter, over 57,000 seasoned Japanese soldiers landed on the main island of Luzon and pushed the combined American forces under MacArthur to retreat into the Bataan Peninsula at the mouth of Manila Bay.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Japanese have cracked through American lines in the Philippines, flooding troops into a &ldquo;Big Pocket&rdquo; in the north &amp; landing beachheads on southern coasts of Bataan. Defenders surrounded: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cAbzx197J5\">pic.twitter.com\/cAbzx197J5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Second World War tweets from 1940 (@RealTimeWWII) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealTimeWWII\/status\/1225404124071649281?\">February 6, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There, the Americans and Filipinos made a brave stand for four months against the Japanese onslaught, until disease and lack of food, supplies and reinforcements made surrender inevitable.<\/p>\n<p>In March 1942,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ocasio-cortez-compares-lincoln-fdr-calls-enormous-tax-increase\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roosevelt<\/a> directed MacArthur to leave the Philippines and go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/developing-attack-australian-church-terrorism-suspect-16-year-old-boy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.macarthurmemorial.org\/directory.aspx?EID=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James Zobel<\/a>, archivist at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, told The Western Journal in 2019 that Roosevelt did not want the Japanese to score such a major propaganda victory as capturing the general.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got [radio propagandist] Tokyo Rose and Japan saying they&rsquo;re going to hang him in Imperial Plaza&rdquo; in Tokyo, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/75-years-ago-macarthur-fulfilled-famous-pledge-made-triumphant-wwii-return-philippines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The historian pointed out that MacArthur&rsquo;s forces had been the only Americans holding out anywhere in the world against the Axis powers of Germany, Japan and Italy in early 1942, making the general a folk hero back in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Obeying the president, MacArthur left the American fortress island of Corregidor, just off the Bataan Peninsula, on a Navy PT boat the night of March 12, 1942. His wife, Jean, their 3-year-old son Arthur and some members of the general&rsquo;s staff traveled with him on the perilous journey, slipping through the Japanese naval blockade at the mouth of Manila Bay.<\/p>\n<p>The PT boats traveled hundreds of miles to the south, experiencing a close encounter with the Imperial Japanese Navy along the way. Eventually, they reached an airfield in the southern Philippines, where the MacArthurs boarded a B-17 American bomber, which flew them to Australia.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Battle of Iwo Jima brings American forces closer than ever to mainland Japan- continuing &ldquo;island hopping&rdquo; campaign that has built a chain of Allied bases across the Pacific. New York Times map shows the &ldquo;Roads that lead to Tokyo&rdquo;: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PJGN43C2Gz\">pic.twitter.com\/PJGN43C2Gz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Second World War tweets from 1940 (@RealTimeWWII) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealTimeWWII\/status\/1628515431190347777?\">February 22, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Australian Prime Minister John Curtain had specifically <a href=\"https:\/\/john.curtin.edu.au\/macarthur\/essay1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">asked<\/a> FDR to send MacArthur to his country to take over the Allied <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prager-trip-to-vietnam-reconfirmed-my-hatred-of-communism\/\" title=\"PRAGER: Trip To Vietnam Reconfirmed My Hatred Of Communism\">war effort<\/a> in the southwest Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>After arriving on the continent, MacArthur <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.army.mil\/brochures\/luzon\/72-28.htm#:~:text=%22The%20President%20of%20the%20United,commander%20in%20the%20Southwest%20Pacific.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> reporters in Adelaide, &ldquo;The president of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines&hellip;for the purpose, as I understand it, of organizing the American offensive against Japan, a primary object of which is the relief of the Philippines. I came through, and I shall return.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The general later wrote in his 1964 autobiography &ldquo;Reminiscences,&rdquo; regarding the statement, &ldquo;I spoke it casually enough, but the phrase &lsquo;I shall return&rsquo; seemed a promise of magic to the Filipinos. It lit a flame that became a symbol which focused the nation&rsquo;s indomitable will and at whose shrine it finally attained victory and, once again, found freedom.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It became the battle cry of a great underground swell that no Japanese bayonet could still,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>MacArthur biographer William Manchester, a World War II Marine Corps veteran, agreed, writing in his acclaimed book &ldquo;American Caesar,&rdquo; that &ldquo;I shall return&rdquo; became &ldquo;the most famous [words] spoken during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-is-putin-constantly-calling-ukrainians-nazis\/\" title=\"Why Is Putin Constantly Calling Ukrainians \u2018Nazis\u2019?\">entire war<\/a> in the Pacific.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Within weeks of MacArthur&rsquo;s arrival in Australia, the Japanese launched a major offensive in Bataan, resulting in the surrender of U.S. and Philippine forces in early April 1942.<\/p>\n<p>The horrific 65-mile <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/army-rangers-conducted-successful-rescue-mission-u-s-history-75-years-ago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bataan Death March<\/a> to a prisoner-of-war camp followed.<\/p>\n<p>As many as 10,000 of the 75,000 or so combined American and Filipino troops <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/asianpacificamericans\/bataandeathmarch.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">died<\/a> on the march due to Japanese brutality, denial of food and water and exhaustion from the months of previous fighting.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This day in 1942, some 70,000 surrendered Filipino and American soldiers began the Bataan Death March to Camp O&rsquo;Donnell, approx 145 kilometres (90 mi).<\/p>\n<p>Prisoners received little food or water, were beaten, tortured, forced to sit in the sun, sometimes within sight of water. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WW2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WW2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sawK9tO6h3\">pic.twitter.com\/sawK9tO6h3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWII Pictures (@WWIIpix) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWIIpix\/status\/1512741501377335296?\">April 9, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Thousands more died from the effects of the march within a month of arriving at the prisoner-of-war camps.<\/p>\n<p>News of the fall of Bataan greatly distressed MacArthur and made him all the more determined to begin the counteroffensive that would ultimately take him 3,500 miles back to the Philippines.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that he pushes for the whole time,&rdquo; Zobel said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost like he wills himself back there.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Making it back to the Philippines would take far longer than MacArthur had hoped. He first had to wait for the troops and materials needed to wage an offensive to arrive in the southwest theater, especially with a vast majority of the war effort being directed toward defeating Nazi Germany in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>MacArthur oversaw the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-top-11-generals-2-douglas-macarthur\/\" title=\"America\u2019s Top 11 Generals: #2 Douglas MacArthur\">island-hopping campaign<\/a> through New Guinea and back toward the Philippines throughout the latter part of 1942 and into 1943 and 1944.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, on Oct. 20, 1944, MacArthur&rsquo;s forces stood poised in Leyte Gulf to fulfill the general&rsquo;s 1942 pledge. The passage of years had brought new hope and new might.<\/p>\n<p>Backed by over 100 warships, including 20 aircraft carriers, and supporting a landing force of 175,000 soldiers, redemption was at hand.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">WAR MAP illustrates the first day of the battle of Leyte. Life Magazine, 6 November 1944. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WW2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WW2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWII?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WWII<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/History?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#History<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r12PwNZcCZ\">pic.twitter.com\/r12PwNZcCZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWII Front Pages (@WW2frontpages) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WW2frontpages\/status\/1056508847026651136?\">October 28, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to think it is probably the greatest moment in his life, fulfilling that pledge, redeeming that promise,&rdquo; Zobel said.<\/p>\n<p>After the first wave of troops took the beach on Leyte Island, MacArthur waded ashore and proceeded to a portable radio microphone from which he would address the commonwealth.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Gen. Douglas MacArthur fulfills pledge to return to WW2 Philippines, 70 years ago tomorrow: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NARA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NARA<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/XKM4VPsyF0\">pic.twitter.com\/XKM4VPsyF0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeschlossDC\/status\/524010361264287744?\">October 20, 2014<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People of the Philippines: I have returned,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil &mdash; soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The hour of your redemption is here,&rdquo; the general said. &ldquo;Rally to me. Let the indomitable spirit of Bataan and Corregidor lead on.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p6WioCDbC-A?si=vk_-KNdTDO6WaOp7\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>He asked the Filipinos, many of whom had been engaging in guerrilla war against the Japanese, to join even more in the war effort.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As the lines of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wwii-leaders-appealed-to-god-and-saving-christian-civilization-in-fight-against-axis-powers\/\" title=\"WWII leaders sought divine intervention to save Christian civilization in battle against Axis\">battle roll forward<\/a> to bring you within the zone of operations, rise and strike,&rdquo; MacArthur said. &ldquo;Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of Divine God points the way. Follow in his name to the Holy Grail of righteous victory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>MacArthur would go on in the months ahead to lead a successful campaign to liberate the Philippines. His troops also freed thousands of American POWs.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than being hung in Imperial Plaza, as Tokyo Rose had predicted, MacArthur oversaw the Japanese surrender ceremony on board the USS Missouri battleship in Tokyo Harbor on Sept. 2, 1945.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">On this day in 1945, the surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito. The surrender was formally signed on 2 September 1945 on board the USS Missouri, bringing the war&rsquo;s hostilities to a close. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/av5XftEdyH\">pic.twitter.com\/av5XftEdyH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Klaas Meijer (@klaasm67) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/klaasm67\/status\/1823953124538626283?\">August 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In a radio address to the American people from the ship afterward, he <a href=\"https:\/\/ussmissouri.org\/kr\/learn-the-history\/surrender\/general-macarthurs-radio-address\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;As I look back on the long, tortuous trail from those grim days of Bataan and Corregidor, when an entire world lived in fear, when democracy was on the defensive everywhere, when modern civilization trembled in the balance, I thank a merciful God that he has given us the faith, the courage and the power from which to mold victory.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Portions of this article first appeared in the book &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/THESE-TRUTHS-Randall-Norman-DeSoto\/dp\/1604772689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">We Hold These Truths<\/a>&rdquo; by Randall Norman DeSoto.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General Douglas MacArthur solidified his status as a World War II legend 80 years ago when he landed on a beach in the Philippines on October 20, 1944. This pivotal moment was the culmination of two and a half years of events. The future five-star general felt deep sorrow when President Franklin D. Roosevelt commanded him to abandon his post and flee from the Philippines to Australia in spring 1942, tasked with organizing the Allied counteroffensive against Japan. MacArthur&#8217;s connection to the Philippines dated back to his early days as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1903, and he had returned there several times throughout his lengthy career. Upon retiring from the Army in 1937, he became field marshal of the Philippine military, which was then a commonwealth territory of the United States set for full independence in 1946.<\/p>\n<p>As tensions rose with Japan, FDR recalled MacArthur to active duty during summer 1941 and appointed him commander of U.S. Forces in the Far East based in Manila. On December 8, 1941\u2014just hours after Pearl Harbor\u2014the Japanese attacked the Philippines with devastating consequences, crippling most American air power and naval forces stationed there.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after this attack, over 57,000 seasoned Japanese troops landed on Luzon Island and forced American forces under MacArthur into retreat at Bataan Peninsula near Manila Bay. For four months, American and Filipino defenders bravely resisted but ultimately succumbed due to disease and lack of supplies before surrendering in March 1942 at Roosevelt&#8217;s directive for MacArthur to leave for Australia.<\/p>\n<p>James Zobel from Norfolk\u2019s MacArthur Memorial noted that Roosevelt aimed to prevent Japan from achieving a significant propaganda victory by capturing their general\u2014a sentiment echoed by many Americans who viewed MacArthur as their last hope against Axis powers early that year.<\/p>\n<p>Obeying orders from FDR, MacArthur departed Corregidor Island on March 12 aboard a Navy PT boat alongside his wife Jean; their three-year-old son Arthur; and some staff members while evading Japanese naval blockades en route southward before boarding an American bomber that took them safely to Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Upon arrival there at Prime Minister John Curtin&#8217;s request for leadership over Allied efforts against Japan\u2019s advances through southwest Pacific territories\u2014MacArthur declared: \u201cThe president ordered me&#8230;to organize an offensive against Japan&#8230;I came through\u2014and I shall return.\u201d His words resonated deeply among Filipinos yearning for liberation.<\/p>\n<p>In subsequent weeks following his arrival down under came news about Bataan\u2019s fall leading up towards April\u2019s tragic Death March where thousands perished due largely because they were denied food\/water or suffered brutal treatment during forced marches toward POW camps\u2014an event which further fueled determination within General McArthurs\u2019 heart towards reclaiming lost ground back home across oceans away!<\/p>\n<p>After extensive planning involving troop movements\/materials needed across various theaters (with much focus still directed towards defeating Nazi Germany), finally on October twentieth nineteen forty-four\u2014the long-awaited day arrived! Supported by more than one hundred warships including twenty aircraft carriers along with landing forces numbering one hundred seventy-five thousand soldiers readying themselves off Leyte Gulf shores\u2014it marked redemption time indeed!<\/p>\n<p>Zobel remarked how fulfilling such promises must\u2019ve been monumental personally speaking! As first waves hit beaches successfully followed shortly thereafter by General himself wading ashore addressing fellow countrymen via radio microphone stating: \u201cPeople Of The Philippines\u2014I have returned!\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He urged citizens engaged already within guerrilla warfare efforts previously undertaken\u2014to rise up even further rallying together toward ultimate victory ahead! Months later would see successful campaigns liberating entire regions while also rescuing numerous POWs held captive until then&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Instead facing execution predicted earlier instead witnessed firsthand overseeing formal surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri battleship Tokyo Harbor September second nineteen forty-five marking end hostilities officially concluding World War II altogether!<\/p>\n<p>Reflectively looking back upon those grim days past filled with fear &amp; uncertainty\u2014he expressed gratitude thanking God providing faith\/courage\/power necessary molding eventual triumph achieved together collectively moving forward into brighter futures ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2357216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Gen.-MacArthur.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[43382,43381,12223],"class_list":["post-2357215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-historical-events","tag-macarthur","tag-wwii"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Gen.-MacArthur.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2357215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2357215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2357216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2357215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2357215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2357215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}