Fall of Bataan

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Jim
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Fall of Bataan

Post by Jim »

Tomorrow is the 70th annaversery of the fall of Bataan. Followed by the "Bataan Death March." One of the low points for the US Army.


http://blogs.krqe.com/2012/04/07/albuqu ... niversary/
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by rangertough »

Jim wrote:Tomorrow is the 70th annaversery of the fall of Bataan. Followed by the "Bataan Death March." One of the low points for the US Army.


http://blogs.krqe.com/2012/04/07/albuqu ... niversary/

An event that to me proved MacArthur was a coward of the lowest order.

Tough
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Jim
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by Jim »

rangertough wrote:
Jim wrote:Tomorrow is the 70th annaversery of the fall of Bataan. Followed by the "Bataan Death March." One of the low points for the US Army.


http://blogs.krqe.com/2012/04/07/albuqu ... niversary/

An event that to me proved MacArthur was a coward of the lowest order.

Tough
Tough. You aren't. MacArthur had to take the Army to Australia. He took the war to the Japaneese.
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hobbit
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by hobbit »

rangertough wrote:
Jim wrote:Tomorrow is the 70th annaversery of the fall of Bataan. Followed by the "Bataan Death March." One of the low points for the US Army.


http://blogs.krqe.com/2012/04/07/albuqu ... niversary/

An event that to me proved MacArthur was a coward of the lowest order.

Tough
Second that. If he'd been a Russian, Japanese, or German general abandoning his command, like the blowhard yellow coward he was, he'd have been shot out of hand.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by Baseplate »

I was under the impression that MacA attempted to resign his commission and fight as a private but was talked out of it by his peoples. Afterwards he was ordered to Australia and he followed he order.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by hobbit »

Baseplate wrote:I was under the impression that MacA attempted to resign his commission and fight as a private but was talked out of it by his peoples. Afterwards he was ordered to Australia and he followed he order.
McArthur's career was steered largely by his mother, who spent her life in Washington hopping between the offices of congressmen and senators, imploring them to cooperate in the ambitions of her little boy. I'm not sure how she paid for such favors, other than spending a lot of time on her knees parked under desks.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by Sleepy Doc »

A dude I once knew relayed to me a story 'bout how there were a handful of the survivors in his Air Force unit back in the early 60's. He said whenever they entered the DFAC the entire place, no matter what rank, would stand at attention in silence until those gentlemen would get their food and be seated.

If the statement "I know I'll go to heaven, because I've done my time in hell" ever applied to someone, it would be the 12,000 US and 66,000 Filipino that endured the horror of that event. From every account, as bad as the US troops were treated, the Filipino were treated far, far worse. There are only handful of the survivors left, and more pass every day. If there is any upside to this, it is that the chains carried with them are forever broken, and they will finally be at peace.

May our fighting men, and women, never have to endure such horror again..






(I have other unrelated reasons to have no respect for Douglas MacArthur, but that is for another thread.. )
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rangertough
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by rangertough »

Jim wrote:
rangertough wrote:
Jim wrote:Tomorrow is the 70th annaversery of the fall of Bataan. Followed by the "Bataan Death March." One of the low points for the US Army.


http://blogs.krqe.com/2012/04/07/albuqu ... niversary/

An event that to me proved MacArthur was a coward of the lowest order.

Tough
Tough. You aren't. MacArthur had to take the Army to Australia. He took the war to the Japaneese.
"I aren't" what? could you please elaborate on what you are referring to. I'm not tough?

MacA would disobey any order given him that did not improve his career. Getting killed by the Japanese certainly would have put a crimp on that.

He bailed, he bravely turned his tail and fled, HE LEFT HIS MEN. The fucker didn't try very hard to resign his commission. I'm almost certain he didn't feel one ounce of shame.

As far as him "Taking it to the Japanese", how fucking hard is it to devise a strategy that basicly goes from island to island on a generally straight line to your objective all the while pissing Marines away and never making a landing with them? Finesse was not his strong suit.

He finally got his when he was fired THE SECOND TIME. I'm sure it humiliated him, he should of been allowed to commit seppuku and slit his belly.

He was a shit and a momma's boy.

Tough
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by colt1rgr »

As Red Foxx (who I think was one of the funniest men who ever lived) once said during his Stand up "You know what McArthur said to his troops when he left Corregidor?"


"Bye!"



Those men were true heroes, and most of us cannot even imagine the hardships they endured at the hands of the Japs.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by Bushwack »

I believe Mac was also in command of troops that fired on protesting WWI Vets in Washington. The Vets were protesting that they did not recieve a promised cash bonus for thier service.

Also I would like to know what exactly did he do to receive the Medel of Honor?
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rgrokelley
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by rgrokelley »

Though I am NOT a McArthur fan, I think his fleeing the Phillippines was a good move on FDR's part. True, he could have gone down with his ship, but now the Japs would have had a fantastic propaganda tool. On the opposite side, McArthur getting away, and then using his "I shall return" comment, was a great propaganda tool for our side.

It served no purpose for McArthur to get captured. There was no win-win solution.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by rgrokelley »

Bushwack wrote:I believe Mac was also in command of troops that fired on protesting WWI Vets in Washington. The Vets were protesting that they did not recieve a promised cash bonus for thier service.

Also I would like to know what exactly did he do to receive the Medel of Honor?
This was true bullshit and it was a "meritorious" Medal of Honor. A true slap in the face of all those who received it before. Exact citation:
For conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula. He mobilized, trained, and led an army which has received world acclaim for its gallant defense against a tremendous superiority of enemy forces in men and arms. His utter disregard of personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgment in each crisis, inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people, and confirmed the faith of the American people in their Armed Forces.
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by hobbit »

About two years ago I wrote a post here regarding comments about MacArthur by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Richard Rhodes in his book "Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb". Because of MacArthur's huge adoration factor with the average American working stiff, Truman knew he couldn't fire the general on his own while expecting political survival, so he appealed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They hated MacArthur as much as the president, regarding this "American Caesar" a coward, a publicity hound, an intolerable blowhard, and a serious threat to world peace. So they struck a secret deal with Truman: They'd toss MacArthur under the bus if Truman would allow our military to possess and store 9 nuclear bombs of high yield that at the correct time, would be used against Chinese cities (if the Korean War impasse continued). There was nothing left to bomb in North Korea. Our B-29's had smashed the entire country to bits. The bombs were never used, but they served a higher purpose: MacArthur was no longer making history, now he was just a footnote.
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hobbit
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Re: Fall of Bataan

Post by hobbit »

Zonk: Try "you're" instead of "your".
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