George Marshall and Douglas MacArthur were two of the most important military people during the periods of the Second World War and the Cold War. Both members of the U.S Army, George Marshall was ascended to U.S Army Chief of Staff while MacArthur was Chief of Staff of the U.S Army during the 1930´s but his most prominent role was as military leader in the Philippines.
George Marshall, 1880-1959, was a bright military man who after fast rising in the U.S Army and being distinguished, was risen to the final rank of General by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When Marshall received the control of the armed forces, he was faced with a terrible situation. The army was very small, unprepared and technologically, very underdeveloped. He then began to establish a series of policies and measures to ensure, first, the engagement of more men, especially during WWII, second, a training regimen that would ensure the correct preparation of the armed forces to face German forces and third, an escalation in the technological preparation of the army. Some of his measures, like the recruitment of men and also his plan for constant exchange of veteran soldiers for newer ones during WWII, gained him a lot of critics. However, it can be said that some, if not all of his measures, managed to empower the U.S Army and made it successfull when confronting the German threat.
Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, was also a military man, but most of his military career and life was lived stationed in the Philippines. His task was to ensure the protection of this nation from the Japanese threat and lead the Pacific forces of the U.S. He retired from active service before 1941 but was recalled to active duty by President Roosevelt. Under MacArthur, the Philippine army was organized and trained and with this the U.S ensured the protection of the island nation and its bases from Japanese threat. One of the great contributions of MacArthur was the re-armament and empowerment of the Philippinian army, but it was also learned that a lot of the provisions that had been requested by MacArthur never reacher their destination. After Pearl Harbor, for which in a way MacArthur was blamed, as it seems that he had received several signs that Japan was attempting an attack at the base, Japan initiated the invasion of the Philippines and MacArthur and his men were forced to run to the city of Bataan. In the end, he was ordered to run to Australia when it was impossible for the U.S to hold on to the Philippines and he was awarded the Medal of Honor by George Marshall as a way to stop critics and detractors from thinking that MacArthur had abandoned his position.
