General Douglas MacArthur - Thayer Award Acceptance Speech @ West Point- 1962

The last 9 minutes of his speech that he gave to the cadets at West Point in 1962. He was 82 years old and fully memorized this speech beforehand in his room at the Waldorf. One of the best speeches of the 20th century in my opinion. Luckily a plebe turned on a recorder right at the beginning or this would never have been recorded.

In 1962 West Point honored the increasingly frail MacArthur with the Sylvanus Thayer Award for outstanding service to the nation, which had gone to Eisenhower the year before. MacArthur's speech to the cadets in accepting the award had as its theme Duty, Honor, Country:

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell."

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[hettdog]

I don't Eisenhower liked him that much either. MacArthur was a bit pompous and arrogant, but great General and American nonetheless.

[hettdog]

hear hear

[xxxmichiganderxxx]

A great general a great man.

[acwl]

Agree, a truly great man.

[aspendouglas1]

Marshall didn't like MaCarthur personally, (He said words to the effect that you don't hold staff meetings, you hold court!) but recognized his military prowess in accomplishing so much in the S. Pacific through feint, flanking and surprise

[joeysiracusa]

"Today marks my final role call with you. But I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and the Corps, and the Corps.

"I bid you farewell."

[Poppybru1]

"Old Soldiers never die they just fade away"

[GooglFascists]

This raises the hair on the back of your neck. All those hundreds of thousands of dead soldiers of the Republic who gave the ultimate sacrifice are WITNESSES to the TREACHERY of the TRAITORS to this nation. There is, along with physical justice, Divine justice as well. Some people call it "Karma". Others "The Golden Rule". But by the order of the Universe THE CRIMINAL HIJACKERS OF THIS REPUBLIC WILL PAY A HORRIBLE PRICE FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING.

[CovenantOfLove]

:) he could make these statements now and it would be common knowledge. back then it means he could foresee the future.

[TheAlliswell]

U have to remember Marshall wanted to leave him in the P.I. and it was only by the newly appointed Eisenhower, who had served in the P.I. as MacAuthors aide, who convinced FDR to appt. him as supreme allied commander in the Pacific. Gen. Marshall did not like MacAuthor. have to say, he was a great man,

[HH60gPaveHawk]

Certainly my favorite general and my favorite speech. Such a good speech for those in the services to hear. I wish I could have been alive to meet him.

[jjleonard1]

Only 4800 views??! Link this to all of your friends serving today. Chilling...every American should hear this speach. The line @ 2:46 holds true today.

West Point has produced the greatest among us.