Artifacts and Personal Effects Illuminate the Man and Times

Many people are familiar with the famous photos of Five-Star U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur wading onto the shoreline donning his signature cap and sunglasses in his triumphant return to the Philippines in World War II. Many have also seen pictures of him smoking his corn cob pipe. These and literally millions of other artifacts, personal effects, documents, collections, newsreels, memorabilia and donations are all in Norfolk, Virginia’s MacArthur Memorial. The Memorial also honors the millions of men and women who served under him and in the U.S. armed forces from the Civil War through the Korean War. The three-building complex, highlighted by the towering rotunda, houses the largest collection of the MacArthur legacy in the world. He was the most decorated officer in U.S. military history, and the facility showcases his many medals as well as weaponry, uniforms, battle and war exhibits, maps, and souvenirs. It is the final resting place of the great general and his wife Jean. His mother, Mary Pinkney Hardy, was a Norfolk native and her son considered the city his true home.

MacArthur’s dashing and somewhat imposing image of warrior giant is evident in the memorial’s artifacts observing his service and achievements. Authors, scholars, news media, and genealogists from across the globe come here to study the more than two million documents, 600 films and 30,000 books – including MacArthur’s original 5,000 volume collection. Legendary actor Gregory Peck visited to research for his role in the 1977 film “MacArthur.”  There are donated collections and gifts from military associates, heads of state, admirers and friends. Precious vases, statuary, paintings, murals and other tributes are not only from liberated citizens of Asia and the world, but even the vanquished, who both feared and respected the man.

Among the most popular exhibits are his 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine, the pens used to sign the Japanese surrender documents, newsreel footage from the surrender on the USS Missouri, a priceless post-surrender photo signed by both MacArthur and Japanese Emperor Hirohito, and a restored encyclopedia of Japan that was presented to the emperor in 1670. There is also a fascinating movie short about the highlights of MacArthur’s life and career. MacArthur is widely perceived as just the commanding iconic American general, but his career began as a soldier fresh out of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1903.

He was soon in hand-to-hand combat against rebels in the Philippines and Mexico, followed later in World War I. His pistol and derringer from those early days are here. Other poignant pieces include the platinum signet ring of Philippines President Manuel Quezon, who shortly before the fall of his nation slipped it onto MacArthur’s finger and said: “When they find your body, I want them to know you fought for my country.” Quezon soon left by submarine for Australia, followed afterwards by MacArthur in a daring and dangerous escape on a PT boat. Other artifacts of note are the American-made Colt pistol and bullet that Imperial Japanese Army General Hideki Tojo used to attempt suicide, and the ropes that bound Japanese General Tomoyuki Yamashita before he was hanged. Sketches by the acclaimed artist Ben Steele show the suffering of POWs in the Philippines’ Bataan Death March, which Steele survived. On a lighter note is MacArthur’s beloved purple/gray wool bathrobe, highlighted by the letter “A” that he received as a cadet playing on the West Point baseball team. He even wore it in a meeting with President Lyndon Johnson.

The memorial also hosts a variety of rotating special exhibits, including its currently running “Command Presence: MacArthur, Media and Mass Appeal.” The presentation observes his relationship with news organizations, public and political perceptions, and his advent into a pop-culture figure. Past exhibits have included “The Liberation of the Philippines” and “UN Command in Korea.”

Since opening in 1964, more than five million people have visited. Centrally located in downtown Norfolk’s MacArthur Square, the memorial is free and open to the public, with guided tours available. Each of its three buildings provides a unique experience. The primary structure is the rotunda burial site and museum, which has nine galleries holding many of the complex’s treasures, and is the original Norfolk City Hall and Courthouse dating to 1850. In front is a larger-than-life bronze statue of the general by award winning artist Walker Hancock, and is the only duplicate of the original effigy that stands at West Point.  Adjacent is the Visitors Center, which features numerous photos and exhibits – including MacArthur’s limousine, the movie theater, stored collections and gift shop.

Despite MacArthur’s famous quote, “Old soldiers never die – they just fade away,” his legacy lives on at the memorial. Military reunions are especially welcome, and the grounds of the Memorial are well-suited to group memorial services.

If you’re interested in bringing your group to Norfolk to see this hidden gem and the many other popular attractions that have brought reunion groups here for decades, visit BookMyReunion.com/Visit-Norfolk/ to get started on your hotel selection process or give us a call today at 757-625-6401.

By Scott B. McCaskey, Creative Writer for Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. and AFR Tours.

What is the single most annoying thing about planning a military reunion?  ANSWER: Finding a hotel that understands the special needs of a reunion, that won’t bankrupt the group’s treasury with scary performance clauses, and that allows BYO alcohol in a meeting room for hospitality.  After all, a military reunion happens in the hospitality room!

Groups reach out to us all the time after spending months of their time searching for the perfect hotel, only to find that most will not allow alcohol in the hospitality room, won’t give meeting space for free, or offer penalty-free attrition and performance clauses. Stressful?  Most reunion chairpersons dread the site selection process because of these difficulties; so, one of a few things ends up happening.

1. Someone volunteers to plan the reunion, then never does it again because it was a massive headache! Most groups have a new volunteer every year and, he or she likely doesn’t know what they’re doing.  Why would they?  Contracting with a hotel has gotten complex.
2. The same chair handles it every year, and maybe relies on a local member in the reunion city to assist with researching hotels and activities. This process takes a long time and you’re not getting the best deals because you are a one-off piece of business to the hotels.
3. The same chair handles it, and you rotate to the same cities year after year, because it’s easier to go back to a hotel that was good five years ago. The chair does this because it’s EASY!  But don’t group members want to visit new and exciting cities with great tours?

What if you COULD visit a new city each year, but have the process be easy and pain-free?  What if you could be connected directly to the hotels nationwide that meet all your “reunion-friendly” needs? What if you never had to worry about Attrition penalties or Food & Beverage Minimums again? What if the site selection and hotel contract process only took you a few weeks from beginning to end?

BookMyReunion.com does all of these things and is the premier Military Reunion Hotel Booking service.

Armed Forces Reunions (AFR), having planned military reunions since 1988, has solved these site selection and contracting problems for reunion groups of all sizes – especially for smaller groups. Our founder and one of the nation’s leading hotel contract attorneys for non-profits wrote a hotel contract that AFR uses nationwide.  It is written to address all a military reunion’s needs and mandates NO Room Attrition and NO Food & Beverage Minimum.  There is nothing like it in the hospitality industry and only AFR groups can take advantage of it.  We have a growing network of dedicated hotel partners that accept AFR’s Risk Free Hotel Contract, and YOU can meet all your group’s needs simply by going to AFR’s BookMyReunion website at this link:  https://www.bookmyreunion.com/top-destinations/

Haven’t secured a hotel yet for the 2022 reunion? Want to get a head start on 2023? HIT THE EASY BUTTON this time! Head to BookMyReunoin.com/Top-Destinations and click on the city you’re interested in. Simply fill out the form and hit SEND. Our hotel partners in that city that accept this contract will reach out directly to you within a few business days. Now you are on your way to a worry-free reunion with loads of freebies and special concessions designed for military reunions.

Why The Most Decorated Officer in U.S. Military History Chose Norfolk, VA As His Final Resting Place

This writer was there with family at age 10 in 1964. In front of Doumar’s Diner we stood among a crowd of thousands, five-people deep lining Monticello Avenue. Before us rolled a proud, yet somber procession. Most vivid was a casket followed by a riderless black horse. My father, a veteran of the Pacific Theater in World War II, stood in salute. All were in awe of this historic moment, as the great General Douglas MacArthur was paraded to his final resting place at the MacArthur Memorial, the former City Hall Building in Norfolk, Virginia.

General MacArthur’s funeral procession in Norfolk, VA.

One of America’s greatest military leaders, General Douglas MacArthur’s litany of accomplishments are incredible: one of only five men to hold the rank of U.S. Army Five-Star General; Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific in World War II; the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers in Japan while serving as administrator of the successful post-war occupation, and the Commander-in-Chief of United Nations Forces in the Korean War. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a lifelong army officer, MacArthur was a dashing brigade commander and interim division commander in World War I, serving in five major campaigns. He was promoted to U.S. Army Chief of Staff in 1930 and afterwards became the only American officer to ever hold the rank/title of Field Marshal of the Philippines. His scores of medals, honors, and accolades are highlighted by the Medal of Honor in 1942 for the defense of the Philippines, several Distinguished Service Crosses, seven Silver Stars, Distinguished Service Medals – the most decorated officer in U.S. military history. A global presence, MacArthur literally saw and changed the world. So what made him choose Norfolk, Virginia as his place of rest? The short and long answer is family, primarily his mother.

Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1880 to a military background. His father, Arthur MacArthur Jr., was a First Lieutenant and Adjutant of the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. His heroics became legendary at the 1863 Battle of Missionary Ridge during the Chattanooga Campaign. The 18-year-old led a self-determined spontaneous assault against Confederate troops, where he picked up the regimental flag from a fallen solder and planted it on the crest of a knoll in victory. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, a medal later shared by General Douglas MacArthur and marking the first father and son to each be awarded the highest of military distinctions. A year later Arthur was severely wounded in the Atlanta Campaign, but refused to leave his men. He was promoted to Colonel in 1865, a month before the end of the war.

In the mid to late 1860s he again saw action in the American Indian Wars. Arthur held numerous posts stateside until serving in the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s and the beginning of the 20th century.  During that war he was coined “the Boy Colonel of the Civil War” by newspapers describing his Civil War service. Arthur led the 2nd Division of the Eighth Corps at the victorious Battle of Manila in the Spanish-controlled Philippines. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1900 and then appointed Military Governor-General of the Philippines. However, a rift about the country’s direction with Civilian Governor William Howard Taft ended Arthur’s term within a year.

He returned to the U.S. mainland and was appointed to Lieutenant General and the senior officer of the service, but still had differences with Taft, who was elected President of the United States in 1909. After being passed over for Army Chief of Staff under the Taft administration, Arthur resigned from the Army. He died in 1912 in the middle of a speech to a reunion group of the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His personality clashes with Taft were not unlike those between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry S. Truman some 45 years later. Douglas MacArthur idolized his father, particularly for his gallantry in the Civil War. The relationship with his beloved mother was a little more complicated.

MacArthur’s “limousine”

Arthur MacArthur Jr. married Mary Pinkney in 1875 and had three children; Arthur MacArthur III, a captain in the Navy who earned the Navy Cross in World War I; Malcolm MacArthur, who died young of measles, and Douglas MacArthur. Mrs. “Pinky” Hardy was the daughter of Norfolk, Virginia businessman Thomas Asbury Hardy and Elizabeth Margaret Pierce, whose ancestors had been residents of Norfolk before the Revolutionary War. She and Arthur were married at her family’s plantation Riveredge, in the Berkeley section of Norfolk. From a Southern aristocratic family and supporter of the Confederacy, there was some consternation among her clan; two of Hardy’s brothers did not attend the nuptials. However, the new Mrs. MacArthur was a fervent patriot of the mending nation. She was also a strong advocate for her son Douglas to emulate his father, as well as General Robert E. Lee. She moved to West Point when Douglas became a cadet, and again when he was Superintendent. Hardy had high expectations and greatly influenced her son throughout much of his life.

MacArthur Memorial Entrance

Although Douglas MacArthur never lived in Norfolk, his oldest brother, Arthur MacArthur III, was born in the city and the second eldest brother died there. The family often took holidays in the city. With his deep-rooted maternal connection to Norfolk, General MacArthur spoke in 1951 at the opening of a new city park dedicated to his mother, located where Riveredge once stood. Bricks from the plantation were used for the wall that surrounded the site. This commemoration encouraged city fathers to help pave the way for his shrine in Norfolk. Mayor W. Fred Duckworth in 1960 approached the general with a plan to renovate the circa 1850 Norfolk City Hall and Courthouse into a repository for MacArthur’s papers and personal effects. MacArthur said: “I consider myself a Virginian, as my mother and father were married in the present City of Norfolk. I accept as a great honor the invitation of the city to place my papers, decorations, and other mementos of my military service in its perpetual care and keeping.” In addition to housing his papers and possessions, MacArthur requested that he and his wife be buried at the Memorial.

General Douglas MacArthur was laid to rest on April 11, 1964 at the burgeoning MacArthur Memorial. Today, the inspiring and expanding complex tells his larger-than-life story, accomplishments, triumphs and challenges. Both a museum and research center, it is dedicated to preserving and presenting his legacy, and is a tribute to the millions of men and women who served with him. The complex is highlighted by the towering Rotunda and burial site of the General and his wife Jean, along with a nine-gallery museum, archive and research center, education center, theater, library, welcome center and gift shop. Reflecting back on the funeral procession of 1964, the image of that black riderless horse remains as vivid today as it was then. Named Black Jack after famed World War I Army General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, that magnificent animal also followed the caissons of Presidents Herbert Hoover, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Black Jack was purchased in 1973 by former First Lady and accomplished equestrian Jacqueline Kennedy.

By Scott B. McCaskey, Creative Writer for Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. and AFR Tours.

As Americans strive to return to normal, tourism and travel is on the rebound nationwide. Hotels are welcoming groups, albeit while struggling to hire adequate staff to handle returning business. The CDC is relaxing vaccination and mask mandates, and the tide has thankfully turned toward normalcy. No industry suffered more than the cruise line industry. Cruise ships were the first global hot-spots of the virus, with ships turned into large quarantine centers. Governments the world over imposed strict ‘No Cruise’ bans. Dozens of cruise ships were idled in flocks off the coast of Florida and throughout the Caribbean – but they fueled up, staffed up and are coming back with a vengeance!

Armed Forces Reunions (AFR) is the parent company of Hampton Roads’ only full-service tour operator. AFR Tours (www.afrtours.com) serves the cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 2022 is going to be the biggest year by far for cruise ship stop-overs at Norfolk’s Half Moon Cruise Terminal, with Norwegian Cruise Lines leading the way with 25 port-of-calls! We expect over 180,000 cruise ship passengers to visit throughout the year. Our first ship arrived this past Sunday, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway. Carnival, Ocean Explorer, TUI Cruises (German), and Caribbean Cruises are all making their way to Norfolk as well – and with good reason.

The largest Naval Base in the world is here in Norfolk, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay – the world’s premier deep-water port and harbor. As Capt. John Smith said of Coastal Virginia in 1608: “Heaven and Earth never agreed better to frame a place for Man’s habitation.” Coastal Virginia is home to sixteen military bases! Our community is honored to host all five of our nation’s military branches, and we welcome veterans with open arms. Norfolk is Armed Forces Reunions’ home town, and we are extremely proud of our region’s contribution to the history and formation of America. But being a national company, we’ve never had the opportunity to solely focus on our home port. The Dey family is extremely excited to have an avenue in which to take a deep dive into the culture, history, people, cuisine, and sights of Coastal Virginia like we never have before. AFR Tours has it’s own staff solely dedicated to welcoming all groups to the region, so our staff here at AFR can focus on the mission at hand: providing military reunion groups with consistently excellent reunions, year after year in cities from coast to coast.

While AFR Tours is the only tour operator in Southeast Virginia, for over three decades parent company AFR has planned group tours in Norfolk and over 100 cities coast-to-coast. We are event planning professionals, with a special emphasis on offering attractive and reasonably-priced tours to military reunions nationwide. For groups with fewer than 100 attendees we offer our attrition-free hotel contracting services and connect groups with local tour partners in select reunion-friendly destinations. For more information on booking your reunion in other top destinations please visit our website at bookmyreunion.com/top-destinations. By submitting a Get-a-Proposal Form, your lead will go directly to top Reunion Hotel partners that accept AFR’s Hotel Contract.

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