One of the greatest WWII re-enactments in the world. Coming up October 7th & 8th. For tickets: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/wwii-re-enactment-battle-for-the-airfield-october-2023/
Still time to make it to the American Heritage Museum for today's Speaker Series featuring author James Ellman. He will be talking about his book MacArthur Reconsidered. Starts at 2:00 PM.
One of the great highlights during our WWII Re-enactment (October 7th & 8th) is the WWII Veterans Roundtable discussion. Veterans from all branches of service talk about what they were doing during the war before a very captive audience. If you know a WWII Veteran who would like to participate please send an email to Hunter Chaney at hchaney@collingsfoundation.org
We are still a go for this weekend's WWI & Aviation Event at the American Heritage Museum. Though the forecast of wind and rain on Saturday might prevent us from flying, the presentations on the featured aircraft will still go on in the hangar. Any pre-purchase tickets for Saturday will be honored on Sunday for visitors thinking of waiting. See more at our update email at the link below:
RE: This Weekend's World War I and Aviation Event at the American Heritage Museum - September 16-17
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We are still a go for World War I and Aviation Weekend at the American Heritage Museum this weekend for World War I and Aviation Weekend at the American Heritage Museum on Saturday, September 16th an...
Join us on Friday, September 22nd, 2:00 - 3:30 PM, for our Speaker Series presentation by author James Ellman on his book MacArthur Reconsidered. No reservations needed. More information see: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/event/speaker-series-macarthur-reconsidered/
tel:+19785629182
The American Heritage Museum is the largest tank and military museum in the Eastern United States.
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Speaker Series: MacArthur Reconsidered
September 22 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
$10 – $20
Join us at the American Heritage Museum on September 22nd to hear a presentation by James Ellman, author of “MacArthur Reconsidered,” as he digs deep, connects the dots, and concludes that General Douglas MacArthur was decidedly not a military genius.
One of America’s most controversial generals, Douglas MacArthur’s rise through the U.S. Army’s ranks was meteoric. However, he did not lead large formations of men in combat until he assumed command of forces in the Philippines in 1941. When war commenced with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, MacArthur’s performance on the battlefield was a failure: he underestimated the Japanese, and his poorly trained forces were outmaneuvered and outfought by a much smaller invading force. However, in what became a repeating hallmark of his career, he successfully portrayed his actions to much of the American people as brilliant and heroic regardless of victory or defeat. After fleeing to Australia, MacArthur famously announced, “I will return,” and followed through on a quest to retake Manila regardless of its impact on Allied global strategy or its cost in American, Australian, and Filipino blood.
In his subsequent role as America’s shogun in Tokyo, MacArthur was again surprised by an enemy he underestimated. The Korean War yielded his greatest victory, at Inchon, but also his greatest defeat, along the Yalu River. Unwilling to accept anything but complete victory, he openly defied President Truman: MacArthur fatally undermined chances for an early peace, planned to seed a great swath of enemy territory with radioactive cobalt, and attempted to widen a conflict which threatened to become a third world war. Raging against his subsequent firing, he only truly faded away after he was publicly criticized by a panoply of America’s greatest WWII generals.
Today, MacArthur still polarizes. Many biographies agree he was a great and patriotic leader marred by a few failures. Ellman argues the opposite: MacArthur was a lackluster battlefield commander who suffered stunning defeats while undermining the command structure of our military.
