Douglas MacArthur: Biography

MacArthur's Family

Now, how did Mac become what he is today? Here is some background of his life:

To Arthur and Pinky MacArthur, Douglas MacArthur was born. He was born on January 26, 1880 while his "parents were away" exclaimed the newspapers. His mother was present of course, but he arrived earlier than expected.

Pinky, which is a nickname for Pinkney Hardy, was born into an old Virginia colonial family. In May 1875, Pinky and Arthur were married. Arthur's father was born in Scotland, but was raised in America. Arthur was a politician and a fair judge. He was also a Major General and was considered a hero in the United States.

Pinky taught Douglas a lot of things. Pinky used to tell him, "We should do what is right, no matter what the personal sacrifice might be. " Two things we must never do: never tell a lie and never tattle."

There is a story about MacArthur selling newspapers to earn extra money. Older boys would not let MacArthur sell the newspapers in their spot . One day, Pinky told Douglas to sell all of the newspapers and not to come back home if he did not sell all of them. With some minor injuries and beatings from the bigger boys, he succeeded.

Young MacArthur

Pinky was a major part of MacArthur' s life. She used to say: "Doug, you' ll win if you don't lose your nerve. You must believe in yourself my son, or no one else will believe in you." That was a lesson that MacArthur would never forget.

One of the most famous feats that MacArthur accomplished was called the Rainbow Division. It all started with Baker, who was the New Secretary of War. Baker chose MacArthur to be his assistant. When the Americans entered WWI, they needed more troops. The draft system was in effect, but there were not enough officers that could train the young men. MacArthur asked Baker to bring the National Guard in duty.

Douglas MacArthur: WWI

Baker agreed and also promoted him to colonel. He became the leader of the division. The reason they called it the Rainbow Division is because they got individual units from different states. "Like a Rainbow". One thing happened that could have destroyed the division. General Pershing tried to break up the division by bringing undermanned divisions in strength. Mac appealed to Baker and Rainbow Division was saved.

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