MacArthur

As I was leaving my hotel this morning,

the doorman asked me,

"Where are you bound for, sir?"

When I replied, "West Point,"

he remarked, "It's a beautiful place.

"Have you ever been there before?"

Duty, honor, country.

Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be,

what you can be,

and what you will be.

They are your rallying points.

They give you a temper of the will,

a quality of the imagination,

a vigor of the emotions,

a freshness of the deep springs of life,

a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,

an appetite for adventure over love of ease.

In this way, they will teach you to be an officer

and a gentleman.

From your ranks come the great captains who will hold

the nation's destiny in their hands

the moment the war tocsin sounds.

The Long Gray Line has never failed us.

Were you to do so,

a million ghosts in olive drab and brown khaki,

in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses

thundering those magic words.

Duty, honor, country!

This does not mean that you are warmongers.

On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people,

prays for peace,

for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

But always in our minds ring the ominous words of Plato,

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."

Heads up, soldiers!

Heads up!

Lieutenant? Yes, sir?

Major Huff's got himself wounded.

Would you look after him, please?

Right away, sir. Corporal, would you take this?

Major.

So, one of the Battling Bastards of Bataan, eh?

Yes, sir. No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam.

Well, help is on the way.

I have Washington's solemn promise on that.

General Marshall, Admiral King, will you go right in, please?

Thank you.

You said you wanted to talk over the Corregidor problem.

I certainly do. I've gone out on a limb with the Filipinos.

We should be getting more than inspirational radio messages

through the Japanese blockade.

Have any of our ships made it?

One ship has reached Mindanao, two more made it to Cebu.

The rest were either sunk or captured.

Thank you.

So far we've lost better than 80,000 tons.

In other words, MacArthur has received practically nothing.

That's about it, Mr. President.

How long can they hold out? Matter of weeks.

But we're still dispatching submarines to Bataan and Corregidor.

We managed to land some munitions and drugs,

and evacuate a few of the wounded, but that's all we can do.

Unless you're one to start stripping

the defenses of the West Coast,

the Panama Canal... One bombing of the canal

and it's out of action for two years.

It's a more vulnerable and important target than Pearl Harbor.

And Hitler will have the whole North American continent for a target

if we don't stop him in Europe.

Exactly.

But you know what's going to happen.

Like everything else, Douglas is going

to take our strategy personally.

He thinks the blockade is a figment of my imagination,

and that I'm somehow deliberately robbing him of glory.

I wish you people would send Douglas a globe of the world

to remind him we have obligations all around it.

We have to support Stalin while he fights the bulk of the Nazi army.

We have to assist Churchill to keep England functioning.

We have to protect our flanks, the Panama Canal,

and General Douglas MacArthur.

I need him. The country needs him.

We can't leave him to the Japanese.

He won't leave the Philippines unless you order him off, Mr. President.

Cut an order. Put my name to it.

Double 5, O, 673D, L926...

So long, baby. That's 140 million bucks the Japs won't get.

I'm army to the marrow of my bones, Dick.

I've never disobeyed an order in my life.

Now, for the first time, I feel bound to disobey.

Sir, you couldn't. You'd be court-martialed.

Then I'll resign my commission and fight on here as a private.

I want you to direct a statement

for the president to that effect.

General, pardon me, but you don't mean that.

I will not leave. I'll stay here with my boys.

Sir, you are the only man alive that can save the Philippines.

They would never have issued an order to this effect,

unless they intended you to mount an immediate counter-offensive.

God damn it, those convoys they diverted,

the troops and supplies that never got here,

they're waiting for you in Australia.

And if you leave now, you can be back before the food runs out.

Sir, you cannot disobey a presidential order.

The president.

Strange ways destiny pulls men's lives.

We have to believe that, don't we, Jack?

I can't even find these supplies.

Fresh meat is coming.

File that goddamn requisition.

Yes, sir.

Major. Colonel Huff. Hi, Ah Cheu. Is the general busy?

The general busy?

You come and see. He lead a big parade.

Excuse me, General.

The submarine has arrived to evacuate

President Quezon and his family, as you ordered.

He still wants you to join them.

No, Sid.

Much more on the drums.

Let's hear those drums. Louder on the drums.

Sir, President Quezon is concerned about your safety.

He advises...

No, Sid. If a commander sneaks out,

how are the men supposed to feel?

I'll not skulk out of here on a submarine.

I'll go in one of Johnny Bulkeley's PT boats.

Sir, I know those boats. Their engines are shot.

They'll only make half speed.

They're made of plywood.

They've got gasoline drums all over the deck.

They're like floating coffins. They'll go up like a bomb.

At least put your family on a submarine. They'd be safer there.

No, Sid, no. I will stay with the general.

Jean, you don't understand. Come here.

We don't even know how many Japanese are out there.

A submarine might be the only safe place for you and Arthur.

We are staying with you.

Don't forget those other soiled clothes.

Yes.

Jeannie, Sid is right. It's gonna be a very dangerous journey.

I'd rather have you and Arthur... Now, suppose,

as you are so fond of saying,

"We three are one. We drink of the same cup."

Jeannie...

You're my finest soldier.

How did Shakespeare put it?

"The general's wife is the general's general."

Colonel Wainwright, sir, General MacArthur's arriving.

Thank you, son.

There goes Dugout Doug and his whole goddamn gypsy caravan.

Goodbye, General, sir.

Castro, keep up the good fight.

A guerrilla force is forming. I'm joining them.

Very good.

I've got my rifle.

Ammunition?

Enough.

All right, then. Cross over to Bataan.

There are good men in the hills there. Join them.

Fight with them.

Yes, sir.

Good luck, Castro. We'll meet again.

Well, Jim, I have no choice.

I know.

If we get through to Australia,

I'll be back as soon as I can with as much as I can.

I suppose I can't convince you to go by submarine.

No, no.

If we can break through, it will demonstrate to Washington

that this blockade can be pierced if you have the daring for it.

In the meantime,

you've got to hold on here.

Yes, sir.

Cigars, shaving cream.

Thank you.

Jim, let the men know

that I'm obeying a direct order from the president.

I will. I will.

When I return, I'll make you a lieutenant general.

I'll be here, or I'll be dead.

Goodbye, Jim.

Goodbye.

Welcome aboard, sir.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

I'm saying hello again to you boys on Corregidor.

Especially you, General MacArthur.

On behalf of the Japanese nation,

allow me to invite you to a party

to celebrate our forthcoming victory. A surprise party.

In fact, a necktie party, here in Tokyo.

Sorry, General.

Let's skip that little party, shall we?

Aye, aye, sir.

What is it?

Mines.

I think that's the last of them, sir.

There's a pot of hot coffee up forward, sir. Would you like some?

No coffee.

How do you feel, sir?