Birth of a Military Legend:
General Douglas MacArthur
(continued)
After a distinguished military career that spanned three
world conflicts and lasted more than half a century, Douglas MacArthur
returned to the United States in 1951. More than seven million
people welcomed the general home in New York; and Congress, in a rare
honor, invited him to address a joint session. MacArthur's speech
concluded with the memorable line,
Old soldiers never die,
they just fade away.
The following year, on March 23, 1952, MacArthur returned to Little Rock for the first time since his birth. His wife, Jean, and son, Arthur-- both of whom stayed with MacArthur throughout World War II and the occupation of Japan--accompanied him. The seventy-two-year-old general visited MacArthur Park, renamed in his honor in 1942, and attended services at Christ Episcopal Church, where he was baptized in May 1880, shortly before his father left Little Rock.
The MacArthur family also toured the Tower Building, the only remaining structure of the Little Rock Barracks, site of the general's birth on January 26, 1880. About 25,000 people saw MacArthur during his five-hour visit to Little Rock. In a speech at MacArthur Park attended by 10,000 spectators, the aging general remarked, "I'm glad to be back home again."
MacArthur retired to New York and, true to his words, lived a life of seclusion. He died on April 5, 1964, and was buried at Norfolk, Virginia.
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