Douglas MacArthur is a true war hero. He risked his life to defend his country and ours. Douglas MacArthur had many bad experiences in his past; his older brother, Malcolm, had died of measles when Douglas was a young boy. He had a choice: don't serve the country, you will live and stay out of harm's way (for the most part) or serve the country and put your life on the line, you might die, but think of the positive: you might live! MacArthur chose to serve his country and was one of our many war heroes and I would like to recognize him for that. Douglas Francis MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880 at the Arkansas Barracks in Little Rock, Arkansas. His parents were Arthur MacArthur Jr. and Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur. His mother was often called by the nickname "Pinky". Because both of her brothers fought for the South in the Civil War, they refused to attend her wedding, which angered her. Douglas grew up in a military family in the American Old West. He had two brothers: Arthur III and Malcolm. Even after Malcolm died of measles in 1883, when Douglas was only 3 years old, the family managed to maintain a healthy relationship even though things would not have been the same without Malcolm. Douglas' education included Force Public School, West Texas Military Academy. and West Point. In high school, Douglas played on the tennis team, was the quarterback on the football team, and was the shortstop on the baseball team. While MacArthur attended West Texas Military Academy, he earned the gold medal for "scholarship and conduct." He was named valedictorian, with a senior year average of 97.33 out of 100, and graduated in 1903. Clearly he was an extremely intelligent man. Douglas MacArthur participated in many battles; in those bats... middle of paper... on MacArthur's 80th birthday, many of his friends were frightened by the general's worsening health. The next day, he collapsed and was rushed into surgery at St. Luke's Hospital to control a severely swollen prostate. His health was a serious problem. Due to biliary cirrhosis, he died on April 5, 1964, at Walter Reed Military Hospital. Biliary cirrhosis: A type due to chronic bile retention after obstruction or infection of major extra- or intrahepatic bile ducts or of unknown etiology, and sometimes occurs after administration of certain drugs. Douglas MacArthur became a five-star general, which is very rare. Even though Douglas went through some hardships, he always trusted that the Lord would provide for him. He was a great general, family member and friend to others and will undoubtedly live in their hearts forever.