Not only is MacArthur giving a rallying speech to the future officers of the Army, he’s also bolstering their belief and hope in the heritage of the West, the humanistic ideal distilled in the liberal arts tradition. The Ideological struggle of the West vs the Soviet Bloc was in full swing. Remember that this speech is delivered during the escalating years of the Cold War. He will repeat these three words as a refrain that grows in power throughout the speech. He invites the audience to invest deeper thought into the ideals of Duty, Honor, Country. By acknowledging the nay-sayers, MacArthur drains them of their persuasive power. He introduces the theme, acknowledging that there are cynics who will ridicule the ideals. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule. The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith to create hope when hope becomes forlorn …. MacArthur begins with a humorous quip, relaxing the audience, then he moves into a humble statement of his gratitude for the award, acknowledging the ideals of Duty, Honor, and Country.ĭuty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.
This speech is a masterpiece of American rhetoric, and I’m amazed that it has taken so long for me to encounter it.
As you listen to the audio, you can tell that his powers are fading, though his mind is still keen and his emotions remain strong: He was 82 and he would only live 2 more years. In 1962, MacArthur received the West Point Silvanus Thayer Award, given by the West Point Association of Graduates to a US Citizen who exemplifies the West Point motto of “Duty, Honor, Country.”īy the time he received this award, MacArthur’s health was failing. So I went searching – this was an easy search, for the quote came from a famous speech of MacArthur’s. In our era of fast words and raw politicking, I think it’s worthwhile to take the extra steps to verify a quote. However, I always like to know about a quote’s native habitat – the context of the larger work and time in which the quote was delivered. I found that to be a powerful and moving quote. “…the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” Among the many interesting points of his talk, he mentioned a quote by General Douglas MacArthur: A few years ago, I heard Peace Activist (and West Point graduate) Paul K.
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