MacArthur

1

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.

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