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Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his family left the Philippine island of Corregidor on this day in history, March 11, 1942.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave the island after it became clear it was no longer safe for MacArthur to remain with his troops, notes the History Channel website.
Deeply distraught, MacArthur had to leave 90,000 troops behind, the same site said.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, MARCH 10, 1876, ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL MAKES FIRST TELEPHONE CALL FROM BOSTON LAB
From 1935 until 1946, the Philippines was a commonwealth of the United States.
By mid-1941, it was believed Japan had set its sights on invading the Philippines.
On July 26, 1941, Roosevelt issued a presidential order “calling into service of the United States of America all the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines,” according to the website for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP).
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, pictured here, was pulled out of retirement in July 1941 to lead the newly created United States Army Forces in the Far East. (Keystone/Getty Images)
MacArthur, who had retired from the military four years before, was designated as the general in charge of the newly created United States Army Forces in the Far East.
However, the “task facing MacArthur seemed impossible,” said the FilVetREP website.
The forces suffered from a lack of equipment and manpower, compared to the encroaching Japanese army.
By March of the following year, it was evident the Japanese would overpower the troops in the Philippines — and that MacArthur would have to leave.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, SEPT. 15, 1950, US TROOPS LAND AT INCHON, TURNING THE TIDE OF THE KOREAN WAR
The journey to safety was treacherous.
During the more than 500-mile boat ride to the island of Mindanao, MacArthur faced mines, rough seas and the threat of the Japanese Navy, says the History Channel.
While in Australia, MacArthur received the…
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