Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 to Arthur and Mary Hardy MacArthur. He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on a military base, and was the third child of Mary and Arthur. Arthur was an army captain at the time of Douglas's birth. Arthur was a decorated soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. Mary was from Virginia and had brothers who fought for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. When Douglas was thirteen, he and his family moved to San Antonio, Texas. In San Antonio, Douglas went to school at the West Texas Military Academy. He was a good student and played several sports in high school. After graduating from West Texas Military Academy, MacArthur went on to the United States Military Academy at West Point. MacArthur excelled at West Point and also played on the school's baseball team. He graduated from the Academy with honors in 1903. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay After graduation, MacArthur was assigned as a junior officer in the Army Corps of Engineers. He spent the next decade serving in many different locations. MacArthur received numerous promotions during his first decade of service. MacArthur served in the Philippines, Mexico, Japan, and France. He spent several months in Veracruz, Mexico, with U.S. troops occupying the place. At the start of World War I, he received another promotion to major and was assigned to administrative and intelligence units. When the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, MacArthur was promoted to colonel of the 42nd Division. This was a National Guard unit made up of troops from several states. In 1918 MacArthur demonstrated his leadership in the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Sedan offensives. When he returned from service in Europe, MacArthur became superintendent at West Point. He held this position for three years and during this time was also promoted to brigadier general. In 1922, MacArthur married his first wife, Louise Cromwell Brooks. MacArthur spent the rest of the decade serving in various positions in the Army. During this period he also headed the American Olympic Committee. In 1929 he divorced Louise Cromwell Brooks. In 1930, Douglas MacArthur received another promotion to general and was also selected as Army Chief of Staff. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In 1935, he was selected as military advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Philippines. MacArthur was sent to the Philippines to establish a defensive military force in the area. Two years later he married his second wife, Jean Faircloth. A year later, she gave birth to their only son, Arthur. Arthur was born in Manila. In 1941 MacArthur was recalled to active duty. In July he became the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific. He conducted numerous successful operations against the Japanese in the Philippines.