April 11, 2013 (Thursday)
“..on my desk I have a motto which says ‘The Buck Stops Here’ — the decision has to be made.” — Harry Truman
Today, April 11, is a sad anniversary. This was the day that President Harry Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his military duties. The year was 1951. Truman appointed General Matthew Ridgeway to replace General MacArthur. MacArthur’s life had been devoted to military service, beginning with training at West Texas Military Academy in San Antonio and continuing at West Point. He was a decorated hero in World War I and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army during the 1930’s. In 1941 he became commander of United States Army Forces in the Far East. He officially accepted Japan’s surrender September 2, 1945, and oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951, when he became United Nations Commander in the Korean war. As the Chinese became involved in the Korean conflict, he urged actions against China, and his views were in opposition to those of the President and the United Nations. Truman relieved him of his command.
MacArthur returned to the United States to a hero’s welcome. Parades were held in his honor, and he spoke before Congress. The speech was broadcast on the radio and I remember hearing the speech in our rented room in a house near the Baylor campus. I recall the closing words of the speech in which he intoned, “Old soldiers never die; they just..fade..away.”
Public opinion was strongly against Truman’s actions, but the president stuck to his decision without regret or apology. In the years that followed, people calmed down as they slowly realized that the firing avoided a massively expanded war in Asia.
Both MacArthur (1880-1964) and Truman (1884-1972) have gone down in history as controversial and revered Americans.
Devotional Thought:
Harry Truman became President after only 82 days as Vice President. He had not been briefed before taking office, and faced many issues with which he was unfamiliar. He faced every situation with confidence and decisiveness. He was not popular when he left office, but through the years historians have been very kind to him and in a relatively recent CSpan poll, ranked 5th among the presidents in terms of “greatness.” Opinions of MacArthur have fluctuated also. In the final analysis, there is only one judgment that matters for any of us, and that is the judgment of the Lord Jesus Christ. As 2 Corinthians 5:10 NIV says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”