Duty Honor Country- Douglas Macarthur

For as long as I can remember, I feel as though I have been raised in a military environment. At a very young age my parents taught me to value discipline, manners, and to show and treat people with respect. In addition to these ‘staples’ of my upbringing, excelling in academics and on the athletic fields was where I further grew as a leader and learned to work with others to further distinguish myself from my peers. I knew based on my priorities and values that I was different from others by not only the way I carried myself but how I spoke to my peers and elders and the respect that I commanded. Perhaps those values were aided by both my grandfather’s serving in the military and my uncle attending West Point, a graduate of the class of

Reagan spoke with passion and sorrow. But he showed an appreciation and respect for those who fought. He uses the word “we” very often, which unites the people and shows union. In his speech he uses the word we 19 times to show the bond between us as a people, and as a nation. He uses rhetorical questions asking why they served and fought till their last breath. “You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.”(Reagan). He answers his questions with love and loyalty for their families and their country. Reagan uses this in his speech to make the audience think deeply about why the men did what they did and

On May 12, 1962, General Douglas MacArthur addressed the cadets at the West Point Military Academy in his speech Duty, Honor, Country, during the reception for the Sylvanus Thayer Award. This award is given to an “…outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in the West Point motto, duty, honor, country.” As the one receiving this prestigious award, General MacArthur truly exemplified these values as he had acquired the rank of General of the Armed Forces while serving in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Within the speech Duty, Honor, Country, MacArthur utilizes logos, pathos, and ethos in order to appeal to the cadets

Every day, thousands of speeches are given. Some of those speeches are long and drawn out while others are created in the heat of the moment. But, regardless of its content, there is a huge difference between a run of the mill speech and a great one. That difference being its relevance, memorability, and honesty. Admiral William H. McRaven accomplished each of those components in his “10 lessons” commencement speech given at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. During his speech, Admiral McRaven detailed his time in basic SEAL training and referenced the 10 life lessons that he learned from it. He then ends the speech with a call to action that is met with a tremendous ovation from the crowd. With that reaction, it was clear that

George S. Patton was one of the most highly regarded and successful military leaders in the history of the United States. His military career spanned from the expedition into Mexico throughout WWII. His ability to inspire his troops with his profane filled speeches and his position of always leading from the front gained him vast popularity and fame. Many political leaders considered him too controversial and intemperate at times. This reputation often overshadowed his determination and success as a commander. His bravery and many contributions to several of America’s war efforts has established him as one of the greats in American military history.

His speech is stirring, remembering the great contributions to history of fallen and living soldiers of all nationalities who fought for their beliefs in the Second World War. Reagan’s dramatic and detailed descriptions of the heroism of the Army Rangers are skillfully complemented by his use of rhetorical devices such as tetracolon, anaphora, tautology, and synchises. His eloquent yet simple style allows him to weave vivid images of history into his listeners and readers’ minds, adding a new dimension to his speaking. Reagan’s speech surely served its purpose: to commemorate the actions of the Rangers, to commemorate the power of unity, and to commemorate as well as celebrate the dedication, bravery, and spirit that makes the American people

Reagan uses parallel structure to create a lasting impression, “ But we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this” (Reagan 2) He uses parallel structure as a source for repetition, except that the first word is repeated for effect, not full sentences. “They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us” (Reagan 3).

The reverence that the American citizens have for the United States military stems from a multitude of different reasons, without a doubt our great nation contains a people with a deep resonating pride for their country. Starting with the founding of the United States, it was the revolutionary army (the United States first army) that won the Revolutionary War, gaining the longed for independence from Great Britain. The United States military then went on to win not only World War I, but also World War II securing trust and respect from the citizens of the United States. Since the Revolutionary War, there have been no interstate wars that have been waged on United States soil, making the United States a seemingly safe country to live in with

“Your guidepost stands out like a ten-fold beacon in the night”. Our nation’s citizens have the responsibility of defending the nation, and must not be too focused or distracted on other matters. The guidepost of our roles in the nation must stand out compared to all other matters. The intention of MacArthur’s speech, to enforce the moral code, is further emphasized through an allusion to Plato: “Only the dead have seen the end of war”. No matter how close world peace may seem to emerge, fighting in our world will never cease; therefore, our nation requires people to continue fighting and winning wars against enemies. As in the moral code, our duties and honor for the country must not come to a conclusion.

Why do we honor veterans in America? The veterans of America need to be honored due to them risking their lives for many others. They also have to give up their time with family and friends. They have to deal with the many deaths either from their side of the battlefield or the other. Now with them doing these thing we are able to live without fear in the world. Also veterans must know that their lives would never be the same ever again. That is due to the war doing things to their brains causing them to act differently than normal.

The purpose of this speech is meant for General Douglas Macarthur to say farewell to his contemporaries and fellow soldiers and his military career. He was given the chance to voice his

Who is this, who is not? It really doesn't matter cause the world stops for November 11th to celebrate the veterans who are or who once fought for this country. But, how do we really honor our veterans?We come together as a country and we say the pledge and the national anthem.

As an individual in the Army you have the duty of being a soldier but as a leader you have to be a soldier and a leader. Without being a soldier you cannot accomplish your duty as a leader. Being a leader in the Army is a duty in itself. You could say that you have 2 duties. That is why these two are closely related to each other. Another Army value that would go together with duty would be selfless service. Selfless service is the act of putting once self before a particular group. The group that we as soldiers put ourselves before is the citizens of our country and other counties that need our assistance such as Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the value that would instill duty in us as a soldier. Without selfless service, we would not be in the Army performing our duties today. I don’t think I need to state and example because is already something we doing by being in the military. The last Army value that would relate to duty would be personal courage. Personal courage is the act of actually having the strength, physically and mentally, to perform your duties as a soldier. I think it is the most important value next to duty. Without personal courage you would not be able to pick up a weapon to defend this country which is our primary as soldiers. It facilitates our responsibilities as soldiers. Without it we would not have the courage to be at our appointed place of duty. Duty is not just related to our Army values. It is also defined the Soldier’s

of appalling violations of respect. The inclusion of respect as a value along with loyalty, duty, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage sent a strong message that respect for others should be an integral part of US Army leadership.

Born November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California, General George Smith Patton, Jr. was one of the most complicated, yet greatest leaders in military history. On June 11, 1909, he attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for a year and then to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 15th cavalry Regiment. Growing up, Patton’s ultimate life goal was to become a hero and a successful leader. In Robert B. Williamson’s book, “General Patton’s Principles for Life & Leadership”, the author takes a personal account of Patton’s principles which he lived and fought for. These main principles consisted of the following: Leadership,