He is one of only five men to rise to the rank of General of the Army, and the only one to hold the rank of Field Marshal in the Philippine Army. Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated first in his class in During the U. In , he was promoted from major to colonel and became chief of staff of the 42nd Rainbow Division.
From to , MacArthur served as Superintendent of the U. Military Academy , where he initiated a series of reforms. His next posting was in the Philippines, where in he was instrumental in quelling the Philippine Scout Mutiny. In , MacArthur became the Army's youngest major general at the age of 45, and in was appointed Chief of Staff of the U.
He was involved in the controversial expulsion of the Bonus Army protesters from Washington, D. He retired from the Army in , but continued as advisor and was Field Marshal of the Philippine Army from MacArthur was recalled to active duty in July as commander of U.
Army Forces in the Far East. A large portion of his air forces were destroyed on 8 December in the Japanese attack on Clark Field , and an invasion of the Philippines followed. MacArthur's forces withdrew to Bataan , where they held out until May He famously promised that he would return to the Philippines, and for his defense of the islands was awarded the Medal of Honor in From Australia, he commanded the New Guinea campaign , and in October returned to the Philippines and led the campaign which liberated the islands.
In December , he was promoted to General of the Army. At the end of the war, MacArthur accepted the surrender of Japan on 2 September As the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and effective ruler of Japan, he oversaw the war crimes tribunals and the demilitarization and democratization of the country under its new constitution , introducing women's rights, labor unions, land reform, and civil liberties. In , MacArthur made a brief bid for the Republican Party 's nomination in that year's presidential election.
