the movie macarthur begin and end at gen. douglas macarthur and gregory peck and alma mata the u military academy of west point on the hudson . we see a frail 82 year old gen. macarthur give the commencement speech to the graduate class of 1962 about what an honor it be to serve their country . the film then go into an almost two hour long flashback on gen. macarthur brilliant as well a controversial career that start in the dark hour of wwii on the besiege island of corregidor in the philippine in the early spring of 1942. tell to leave he island for australia before the japanese military invade it gen. macarthur for the very first time in his military career almost disobey a direct order from his superior u president franklin d. roosevelt and dan oherlihy . feeling that he will be desert his men at their great hour of need macarthur reluctantly and together with his wife and young son and do what he be tell only to have it haunt him for the reminder of the war . it be that reason and his escape under fire from death or captivity by the japanese and that drive gen. macarthur to use all his influence to get fdr two year later to launch a major invasion of the philippian and instead of the island of formosa and to back up his promise to both the philippine people as well a the thousand of u pows leave behind . that he will return and return with the might of the u army and navy to back up his pledge . in the two year up until the invasion of the philippine island gen. macarther batter the japanese force in the south pafific in a number of brilliantly conceive island hop battle that isolated and starve hundred of thousand of japanese troop into surrender . the general do that suffer far less u military loss then any other allied commander in the war in the pacific . it be in 1950/51 in the korean war that gen. macarthur achieve his most brilliant victory as well a his bad military defeat . after outflank the advance north korean army in the brilliant and perfectly execute and with the invade u marine suffer less then 100 casualty and back door or leave hook invasion of inchon gen. macarther feel invincible send the u or un force under his command to the very border and along the yalu river and of communist red china . tell by his subordinate that he face the threat of a massive ground attack by communist chinese troop gen. macarthur press on anyway until that attack do materialize cut the u and un force to ribbon . the unstoppable wave after wave of attack red chinese troop force the u or un force to retreat in the big bug out of 1950 with their very life and leave all their equipment behind and across the north korean border even abandon the south korean capital city of seoul . this turn out to be one of the big military disaster in u history with the u force lose a record and in the korean war and 1 and 000 life on the very first day nov. 29/30 1950 of the communist chinese invasion . shock and humiliate in what he allow and due mostly to his own arrogance and to happen macarthur go on the offensive not against the advance communist chinese and noth korean force but his own commander and chief pres . harry s. truman and ed flanders and in him not have the spin or gut to do what have to be do represent launch a full scale invasion of communist china with nuclear weapon if necessary to prevent it troop from overrun the korean peninsula . for pres . truman who have take just about enough garbage from gen. macarthur in him run off his mouth in public in how he be mishandle the war in not go all out and like macarthur want him to and against the red chinese this be the last straw . on april 11 and 1951 pres . truman unceremoniously relive gen. macarthur from his command a supreme commander of the u or un force in korea . pres . truman brave but very unpopular decision also and by not go along with macarthur total war strategy and prevent a third world war from break out with the soviet union communist china ally who at the time like the u have the atomic bomb . pres . truman controversial decision to dump the very popular gen. macarthur also cost him his re election in 1952 with his poll number so low in the mid 20 that he withdraw in march of that year from the u presidential campaign . in be gen. macarthur misfortune to be around when the political and military climate in the world be change in how to conduct future war . with the horror of a nuclear war now and in 1950/51 and a reality it would have be national suicide to go all out and like gen. macarthur want to and against the red chinese with it very possibly touch off a nuclear holocaust that would engulf not only the u ussr and red china but the entire world . it be that important reality of future war that gen. macarthur be never teach and since the a and h bomb weren not yet invent and in west point . back to 1962 we can now see that gen. macarthur and after finish his commencement speech at west point and have become both an old and wise soldier as well a and since his retirement from the u military and elder statesman in his feeling about war and the utter futility of it . one thing that gen. macarthur be teach at an early age and from his civil war general dad douglas macarthur sr and that stick to him all his life be that to a soldier like himself war should be the very last not first resort in settle issue between nation . in that it the soldier who have to fight and die in it . it take a lifetime and with the advent of the nuclear age and for gen. macarthur to finally realize just how right and wise his dad a congressional medal of honor winner and like himself and really be .