General Douglas MacArthur Thaver Award Acceptance Address General Westmoreland, General Grove, disting uis hed guests, and gentlemen of the As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, Where are you bound for, General? And when I replied, West Point he remarked ," Beautif ul place. Have you ever been there before? No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this [thayer Award]. Coming from a prof ession I have served so long and a peo ple i have loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily to honor a persona lity but to symbolize a great moral code - the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the a imation of this medallion For all eyes and for all time it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That i should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which w ill b with me always: Duty, Honor, Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be what you can be, what you will be. they are your rally ing points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to rega in faith w hen there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn Unhappily i possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean the unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and i am sorry to say, some others of an entirely dif ferent character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custod ians of the nation 's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid. They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort but to face the stress and spur of dif f iculty and challenge: to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep: to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. 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 of an appet
General Douglas MacArthur: Thayer Award Acceptance Address General Westmoreland, General Grove, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps! As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" And when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, "Beautiful place. Have you ever been there before?" No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this [Thayer Award]. Coming f rom a profession I have served so long, and a people I have loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I cannot express. But this award is not intended primarily to honor a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code -- the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the animation of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always: Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. 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. Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean. The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely dif ferent character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule. But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are af raid. They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of dif ficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a f reshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for
adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unf ail ing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. they teach you in this ay to be an officer and a gentleman And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battle ield many many years ago, and has never changed i regarded him then as i regard him now as one of the world's noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military haracters but also as one of the most stainless His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen In his youth and strength, his love and loya lty he gave all that morta lity can give He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast But when i think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire and of his modesty in victory i am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successf ul patriotism He be lon gs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the princ ip les of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battle ields around a thousand camp ires i have witnessed that enduring fortitude that patriotic self -abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. from one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage As I listened to those songs [of the glee club, in memory's eye i could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs on many a weary march from dripping dusk to drizz ling dawn, slogg ing ankle-deep through the mire of shell-shocked roads to form grimly for the attack blue-lipped covered w ith sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God I do not know the dignity of their birth, but i do know the glory of their death They died unquestioning uncompla ining w ith faith in their hearts and on the ir lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always, for them: Duty Honor, Country always the ir blood and sweat and tears,as ye sought the way and the light and the truth And 20 years after, on the other side of the globe aga in the filth of murky foxholes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts those boiling suns of elentless heat, those torrential rains of devastating storms the loneliness and utter desolation of jungle trails; the bitterness of long separation from those they loved and cher ished; the deadly pestilence of tropical disease; the horror of stricken
adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life. They teach you in this way to be an of ficer and a gentleman. And what sort of soldiers are those you are to lead? Are they reliable? Are they brave? Are they capable of victory? Their story is known to all of you. It is the story of the American man-at-arms. My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then as I regard him now -- as one of the world's noblest figures, not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. He needs no eulogy f rom me or from any other man. He has written his own history and written it in red on his enemy's breast. But when I think of his patience under adversity, of his courage under fire, and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and f reedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand campfires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self -abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other he has drained deep the chalice of courage. As I listened to those songs [of the glee club], in memory's eye I could see those staggering columns of the First World War, bending under soggy packs, on many a weary march from dripping dusk to drizzling dawn, slogging ankle-deep through the mire of shell-shocked roads, to form grimly for the attack, blue-lipped, covered with sludge and mud, chilled by the wind and rain, driving home to their objective, and for many, to the judgment seat of God. I do not know the dignity of their birth, but I do know the glory of their death. They died unquestioning, uncomplaining, with faith in their hearts, and on their lips the hope that we would go on to victory. Always, for them: Duty, Honor, Country; always their blood and sweat and tears, as we sought the way and the light and the truth. And 20 years af ter, on the other side of the globe, again the filth of murky foxholes, the stench of ghostly trenches, the slime of dripping dugouts; those boiling suns of relentless heat, those torrential rains of devastating storms; the loneliness and utter desolation of jungle trails; the bitterness of long separation f rom those they loved and cherished; the deadly pestilence of tropical disease; the horror of stricken
areas of war; their resolute and determined defense, their swift and sure attack their indomitable purpose, their complete and decisive victory --always victory Always through the bloo dy haze of their last reverberating shot, the vision of gaunt ghastly men reverently follow ing your password of Duty, Honor, Country The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplift of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right and its restraints are from the things that are wrong. The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training--sacrif ice In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the divine he lp which alone can susta in However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind You now face a new world --a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres, and missiles mark the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind In the five or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken to form the earth, in the three or more billion years of development of the human race, there has never been a more abrupt or staggering evolution. We deal now not w ith things of this world alone but w ith the illimitable distances and as yet unf athomed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless frontier We speak in strange terms: of harnessing the cosmic energy of making winds and tides work for us; of creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even eplace our old standard basics; to purify sea water for our drink of mining ocean floors for new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to ex pand life into the hundreds of years; of controll ing the weather for a more equitable distribution of heat and cold, of rain and shine of space ships to the moon; of the primary target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy but ins tead to include his civil populations; of ultimate conf lict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary ga laxy of such dreams and fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time And through a ll this welter of change and develo pment, your miss ion remains fixed, determined, inviolable: it is to win our wars
areas of war; their resolute and determined defense, their swif t and sure attack, their indomitable purpose, their complete and decisive victory -- always victory. Always through the bloody haze of their last reverberating shot, the vision of gaunt, ghastly men reverently following your password of: Duty, Honor, Country. The code which those words perpetuate embraces the highest moral laws and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophies ever promulgated for the uplif t of mankind. Its requirements are for the things that are right, and its restraints are f rom the things that are wrong. The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training -- sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him. However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind. You now face a new world -- a world of change. The thrust into outer space of the satellite, spheres, and missiles mark the beginning of another epoch in the long story of mankind. In the five or more billions of years the scientists tell us it has taken to form the earth, in the three or more billion years of development of the human race, there has never been a more abrupt or staggering evolution. We deal now not with things of this world alone, but with the illimitable distances and as yet unfathomed mysteries of the universe. We are reaching out for a new and boundless f rontier. We speak in strange terms: of harnessing the cosmic energy; of making winds and tides work for us; of creating unheard synthetic materials to supplement or even replace our old standard basics; to purify sea water for our drink; of mining ocean floors for new fields of wealth and food; of disease preventatives to expand life into the hundreds of years; of controlling the weather for a more equitable distribution of heat and cold, of rain and shine; of space ships to the moon; of the primary target in war, no longer limited to the armed forces of an enemy, but instead to include his civil populations; of ultimate conflict between a united human race and the sinister forces of some other planetary galaxy; of such dreams and fantasies as to make life the most exciting of all time. And through all this welter of change and development, your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable: it is to win our wars
Everything else in your prof essional career is but corollary to this vital dedication All other pub lic purposes, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or small will find others for their accomplishment. But you are the ones who are trained to fight. Yours is the prof ession of arms, the will to win, the sure know ledge that in war there is no substitute for victory that if you lose the nation will be destroyed that the very obsession of your public service must be: Duty, Honor, Country Others will de bate the controversial issues nationa l and interna tio na i, which div ide men's minds; but serene, calm, aloof, you stand as the Nation s war-guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conf lict, as its gladiator in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended guarded, and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and freedom of right and justice Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government hether our strength is being sapped by def icit financing indulged in too long by federal paternalism grown too mighty by power groups grown too arrogant by politics grown too corrupt by crime grown too rampant by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high by extremists grown too violent: whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be. These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation's destiny in their ha nds 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, in brown khaki, in blue and gray ould rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty Honor Country. This does not mean that you are war mongers 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 ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: Only the dead have seen the end of war. The shadows are lengthening for me. the twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. they have gone glimmering throug h 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 va inly but with th irsty ears, for the itching 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 battlef ield
Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication. All other public purposes, all other public projects, all other public needs, great or small, will find others for their accomplishment. But you are the ones who are trained to fight. Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory; that if you lose, the nation will be destroyed; that the very obsession of your public service must be: Duty, Honor, Country. Others will debate the controversial issues, national and international, which divide men's minds; but serene, calm, aloof , you stand as the Nation's war-guardian, as its lifeguard from the raging tides of international conflict, as its gladiator in the arena of battle. For a century and a half you have defended, guarded, and protected its hallowed traditions of liberty and f reedom, of right and justice. Let civilian voices argue the merits or demerits of our processes of government; whether our strength is being sapped by deficit financing, indulged in too long, by federal paternalism grown too mighty, by power groups grown too arrogant, by politics grown too corrupt, by crime grown too rampant, by morals grown too low, by taxes grown too high, by extremists grown too violent; whether our personal liberties are as thorough and complete as they should be. These great national problems are not for your professional participation or military solution. Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night: Duty, Honor, Country. You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who 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, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise f rom their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country. This does not mean that you are war mongers. On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suf fer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." 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 w ith you, but i want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoug hts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell
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