- I love learning stuff about General Douglas MacArthur and when I came across the film Emperor on Netflix which stars Tommy Lee Jones as the iconic figure, I was all for it. Sadly the movie wasn’t very subpar due to a love story with Matthew Fox as General Bonner Fellers with a Japanese woman that dragged on and on, and in reality, it never happened. However, this lead me to do some research:
- The film stated that the character Matthew Fox portrayed, Bonner Fellers, was dropped in rank from general to colonel, but it never stated why. Basically, after the war the Army was reduced in size and there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians, so the Army demoted or reverted a total of 212 generals back to the rank of colonel. His rank as general was reinstated at retirement, but I was curious to know if those 212 got to keep their general pay grade after the reduction in rank. It seems kind of cruel to serve your country with that distinguished rank and the pay that comes with it, only to have it taken away from you.
- MacArthur’s office in Japan remains preserved, and there’s something just fascinating at how worn that green leather chair is.
- The Japanese prime minister for most of the war, Hideki Tōjō, attempted suicide during his arrest and apologized for taking so long to due. The U.S. saved his life only to be tried and executed. While recovering from his injuries, he was given a new set of dentures that had “Remember Pearl Harbor” secretly drilled into the teeth in Morse code.
- HBO had a great documentary on Nixon last night which focused mainly on all of his recordings and interviews, it was as if Nixon was telling the story himself. Gosh, that man is such a fascinating and complicated individual. Of all the things in the documentary one thing caught my attention, a reporter referred to Henry Kissinger as Dr. Kissinger. I don’t think that practice is carried over today, there were many times Robert Gates was first referred to a Secretary Gates and then Mr. Gates, not Dr. Gates.
- One obscure thing I’ll always remember about Nixon was him switching from AT&T to MCI in 1989 because AT&T was a primary sponsor of an ABC movie that depicted him in a way he wasn’t fond of.
- I’m a fan reciting creeds (namely the Apostles’ and Nicene) in church but don’t recall ever doing it during my days in the Southern Baptist church. After a little online research I remembered why, and you can grossly summarize it as “No creed but the Bible.”
- People give the Westboro Baptist Church way too much attention, but then again they do the same with the Justin Bieber and the Kardashians, and I’m not sure what’s worst.
- I’m the kind of person that doesn’t understand or “get” when another person is joking, so I guess I tend to take things on face value and maybe too trusting, depending on the circumstance.
- While watching television last night I came upon something that made me look up the difference between an apron and a smock. I thought the best source to find such an answer would be ApronsAndSmocks.com.
- This teaser trailer for a Dirk documentary has Kobe complimenting the big German.
- Map of the richest person in each state – According to the map, three states do not have any billionaires: Maine, North Dakota, Delaware.
- Navy diver drowned after refusing to leave his fellow sailor to die alone underwater during a training exercise
- HouseCreep.com will tell you if anything shady has ever happened at a particular address, such as a crime, death, or property damage.
- This ruler is a dream come true for any geometry student.
- Texas produces 3M barrels per day, slides into 8th spot in the world
- Buzzfeed – 21 Reasons Why Texas Girls Are The Best
- If you were wondering what Burt Reynolds is up to nowadays, the 78-year-old is teaching acting classes in Florida.
I was always told a rule is a measuring device, a ruler is in charge of people or governments.
MacArthur's chair was worn because he was always in it. Unlike Patton, he led from the rear. And he was the first to leave in the night with his tail between the legs, but made a big show of coming back to the Philippines with a TV crew once the fighting was done. Eisenhower almost dismissed him completely during Korea. And read Day of Deceit for some insight on just how far he'd allow things to go to get America into the war in the first place.
I am not a fan of MacArthur.
Funny about Tojo's teeth. I'd never heard that.
I agree with you about the movie. I watched it because I came across it by accident, too. And was non-plussed as well.
As for the generals, you have to remember exactly how much we downsized. Hell, the generals could have quit as well, but they decided to stay on. The enlisted men that were downsized were sent home to almost no jobs. If not for the GI Bill, we would have been thrown back into the depression. Government handouts were OK for the "Greatest Generation", but not for any generation since, according to them. </>rant<>
I'm grumpy today. MacArthur makes me grumpy.