Word comes back from Ann Muir, Dan Evans, and Bob Magruder that the mini reunion was a big success. . Three sets of photos from the reunion can be viewed by clicking on the mini reunion links on the right of the screen. 

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

A number of our classmates are supporting the Foundation for the Scotland School for Veterans Chilldren.  Jack Price received a letter from Sally Sheaffer at the  Foundation:

:Excerpt:

Dear Mr. Price,

I'm writing to share some exciting news. Tree of Lights 2006 was a great success  The goal of raising $50,000- was met and exceeded. With all the gifts tallied, the total received stands at "51,100!

 See the entire letter at: .

www.west-point.org/class/usma1964/images/stories/fruit/Scotland[1].pdf

By and with permission to forward:

MacArthur's Speech to the Corps of Cadets

By Lieutenant General James R. Ellis, US Army (Ret)

Saturday, 12 May 1962

General of the Army MacArthur’s trip to West
Point had been well publicized and would be a
major event. The afternoon before, I called the
Academy Public Affairs Officer (PAO)­(an
excellent officer with whom the Brigade Staff had
a good working relationship), and I asked him
about arrangements to record the General’s
speech. He said they did not do that­instead they
would release a copy of the speaker’s written
remarks to the press after the event. This did
not seem satisfactory. I asked my roommate, Pete
Wuerpel, to see if he could do something so that
at least he and I would have a recording of the
speech. Pete was the Cadet Brigade Adjutant and
used the dining hall public address system at
every meal to make announcements. He borrowed a
reel to reel recorder from a fellow cadet and made the connections.

That Saturday was a perfect day­clear and sunny
but not too hot. As you remember, the parade
field was oriented differently than today with
the reviewing stand directly across the street
from the Superintendent’s House. The dining hall
had not been expanded and had not encroached on
the parade field­consequently the field was
larger than it is now. Spectators completely
surrounded the field­the Academy civilian police
(who worked with the MP’s and were responsible
for crowd control) estimated the number at
150,000. Remember, the Academy was wide open to the public at that time.

It was a full Brigade Parade. At the appropriate
time the Thayer Award was presented to General
MacArthur by the President of the Association of
Graduates, Lieutenant General (Retired) Leslie
Groves (who had directed the Manhattan Project in
WWII). Following the presentation, Generals
MacArthur and Westmoreland and I trooped the line
in a jeep driven by the Supe’s driver. A picture
of the jeep moving in front of the Corps appeared
on one of those two page displays in Life
magazine following MacArthur’s death in 1964.

After the parade, the Corps, Tac Officers,
Instructors and invited guests moved into
Washington Hall. Generals MacArthur, Westmoreland
and Groves took their places on the dais which
had been set up just inside the main door. Glen
Blumhardt, Cadet 1st Regimental Commander,
escorted Mrs. MacArthur and Mrs. Westmoreland to a table on the Poop Deck.

My table was immediately in front of the dais.
Cadet tables held 10 people. As Brigade Commander
I was table-com hosting nine active duty and
retired 4 Star Generals­minding my manners with every bite!

Following lunch, General MacArthur gave that
great Duty, Honor, Country speech. I’m sure you
have heard it many times. He had no notes except
one 3 x 5 card with one word on it­“doorman”­you
have heard the joke. The occasional ‘klunk’ on
the audio is the sound of the General’s ring
hitting the wooden podium as he shifted his grip.
When he finished he turned around and saluted his
wife on the Poop Deck. At the end there were no dry eyes on my table.

After the official party left, Wuerpel and I were
changing in our room (8½ Division which no longer
exists), we both had dates waiting–(I married
mine 7 weeks later­we celebrate our 45th this
summer). Pete had recovered the recorder.

The phone rang:

PAO (in a panic), “The General had no written
text and the press is going crazy for a copy of
the speech­someone told me you made a recording.”

Ellis, “Yes sir, it is here on the table”.

PAO, “My minion will be there shortly to pick it up.”

(Interesting title for the Captain who rushed in
10 minutes later and ran out with the tape). The
PAO took it to the Foreign Language lab and made
multiple copies. A secretary worked all afternoon
transcribing the speech to hard copy to release
to the press. Pete retrieved the original tape
and, to the best of my knowledge, still has it.

END

  

Results of MacArthur Trivia Quiz

 Q1.  How did Douglas’s mother dress him until he was eight years old? Respondents split 50/50 on choosing knickers and skirts. According to a highly reliable source (Source: Uncle John's Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader) MacArthur's mother dressed him in skirts until he was eight years old.   

 

 MacArthur Family 1815.  Source: MacArthur Memorial Photographic Collection    No, that is not Douglas sitting on his father’s lap.  Notice the date of the photo.  Just checking to see if you are paying attention.  

 

Q2  What was Cadet MacArthur’s class academic rank at graduation? Most respondents answered correctly that he achieved the top of academic rank.  A few chose Star man near top.    Even Tucker didn’t pick Goat of the Class, that’s if he took the test in the first  place. 

   Source: MacArthur Memorial Photographic Collection 

 

Q 3.  MacArthur was manage of which  team in the 1928 Olympics? Except for a few responses of fencing, results were split between boxing and football. 

According to the Washington Post, Aug 11, 1928: Amsterdam, Aug. 10 (A.P.). — Americans Stage Near-Riot At Olympic Fight Decision Judges' Reversal in Daley Bout Stops Rush on Ring — Gen. MacArthur Excited — British and Others in Disorders The fighting spirit of the ringside fans at the Olympic boxing events made the action in the ring in the semifinal bouts look like second rate performances. Not since the Olympics started have such scenes been witnesed in the Olympic fighting pavilion. 

One of MacArthur’s succinct quotes came from this episode. General DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, president of the American Olympic committee, comment when the manager of the American boxing team in the 1928 Olympic games wanted to withdraw the team because of what he thought was an unfair decision against an American boxer.—The New York Times, August 9, 1928, p. 13. The quote:  “Americans never quit.”  

 

Q4  How many times did General MacArthur wade ashore on the day he returned to the Philippines? Responses where basically split into three piles: Once, twice and Five times. 

 

 

 

 The General seemed very aware of the fact that the landing was an historical occasion.  Some wags suggest that he staged multiple trips wading ashore to be sure that the cameras caught the action.  However, according to a photographer who shot pictures of the landing, the General made only one walk, wading in water up to his knees.  He did, however, move the site where he came ashore several hundred feet away from a steel ramp that would have allowed him to keep dry down to the area where the photos were shot.  The photographer claimed he was the only one taking pictures, yet if you look at the two shown here, you can wonder how fast the photographer must have been to move to the two different locations (or conversely, how slow the General moved/)    

 

Q5  How did  President Truman feel about General MacArthur? All respondents answered correctly that the President strongly disliked him.

 

If any of our classmates wrote something like Truman wrote about MacArthur on our 64 web sight Jack Price would have given them a suspension.  In 1945, U.S. President Harry S Truman, contemplating a final invasion of Japan, wrote:Mr. Prima Donna, if you don't think Hobie is really beastly, you are not a beast. Brass Hat, Five Star MacArthur. He's worse than the Cabots and the Lodges—they at least talked with one another before they told God what to do. Mac tells God right off. It's a very great pity we have stuffed shirts like that in key positions. I don't see why in hell Roosevelt didn't order Wainwright home and let MacArthur be a martyr. We'd have had a real General and a fighting man if we had Wainwright and not a play actor and a bunco man such as we have now.^[6]   

Michael Schaller, The American Occupation of Japan (Oxford, 1985)

 

 

 

 Q 6. Which quote has not been attributed to General MacArthur? 

About half of the respondents answered correctly a quote from General Marshall, “I have a secret and dangerous mission.  Send me a West Point football player.” I suggest that we send Bill Chescavage.       

 Q7.  How long was the Duty , Honor, Country Speech? Just like Goldilocks, a few thought it to be short, a few long, but most, just right at 34 minutes. 

Q8 What were you doing in the Mess Hall during that famous speech? A handful were nodding off, one (Hork?) was hot to trot, one wasn’t there (those tennis players had other things to do), and most were listening intently.. 

Q9. Where is the General’s final resting place? Ha, this should have been a shoe-in.  Not at West Point, nor at Arlington, as a few respondents suggested, not at San Franscisco where one respondent chose (Sit up and screw your neck in!), but at Norfolk, VA.   

 

          

   On a more serious note, read the transcript of a PBS broadcast on General MacArthur. It gives fascinating insight into that great man. 

 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/filmmore/transcript

 

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