Greetings fellow shut-ins. Tomorrow is a red letter day. At 7 AM sharp I get to go the food store for the official "senior hour." After that I will take a major junket to the post office sometime in the afternoon. On Friday, I might get my 2020 silver Proof set. It does not take a lot to get us excited these days. As for the gas station, there are great bargains to be had, but since I'm not driving anywhere, I can't take advanage of them. I hope that I can remember how to operate the pump after being away from it for two months. At any rate, here is another article from the archives. I wrote it in 2013 for my local club. The 2013 three piece commemorative coin set was dedicated to the five, five star generals who served our country during World War II. The set consists of a five dollar gold piece, a silver dollar and a copper-nickel clad half dollar. The surcharges from the sale of these coins will be paid to the Command and General Staff College Foundation. Funding from that foundation supports for the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College that is located in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and four branch locations around The United States. General William Tecumseh Sherman founded the college in 1881 as a school for infantry and cavalry. Over the years it has evolved into a facility that provides training to Army officers, personnel from other branches of the military and selected foreign nationals. Its graduates have included many distinguished military leaders, including these five generals whose leadership spearheaded the victory of the Allied Forces in World War II. Douglas MacArthur (1880 - 1964) - Appears on the Five Dollar Gold Piece. Douglas MacArthur was born into a distinguished military family. His father, Arthur MacArthur, like his son won the Congressional Medal of Honor. They are one of two father and son combinations who have received that honor. The other was Theodore Roosevelt and his son, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. After graduating at the top of his West Point class in 1903 MacArthur rose to a major leadership role in World War I when he became the brigade commander of the 42nd Division. Upon returning home in 1919 he was appointed to be the head of the West Point Military Academy. This was followed by an appointment to be Army Chief of Staff from 1930 to '35. During this period MacArthur fought to maintain the strength of the Army during The Great Depression. After his term as the Army Chief of Staff MacArthur was stationed in the Philippines. In mid 1941 as the situation with Japan grew worse, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed him commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific theater. After the Japanese forced MacArthur and his forces out of the Philippines, the general moved his center of operations to Australia. Vowing to return and liberate the Philippines, MacArthur kept his promise in 1944. After the atomic bomb quickly ended Japanese resistance, MacArthur accepted their surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. From there MacArthur began a very successful occupation of Japan during which he initiated reforms that transformed the country politically and economically. On June 25, 1950 the North Koreans initiated an unprovoked attack on South Korea as they crossed the 38th parallel which marked the border between the two nations. The North quickly overwhelmed the South and gained control of almost all of the peninsula. The last stronghold was Pusan, a region in the southwest corner of the country. Despite a seemingly overwhelming victory, MacArthur noted that the North Korean supply lines were stretched and vulnerable. Rolling the dice MacArthur landed a force at Inchon, a port well north of the communist position. Within a month's time the North Koreans were forced out the South and driven to the North Korean border, the Yalu River. At that point the Chinese Communists intervened in the war and drove MacArthur's forces to a point south of the 38th parallel. MacArthur requested that he be allowed to bomb the bridges over the Yalu River. When his request was denied he took his objections public which led President Harry Truman to relieve him of his command. MacArthur's removal was highly controversial. He added flames to the debate in a moving speech before the U.S. Congress during which he made his most famous quote, "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." Later he lent his support to senator Robert Taft, in his unsuccessful attempt to prevent Dwight Eisenhower from gaining the 1952 Republican presidential nomination. Following that McArthur retired from public life. Dwight Eisenhower (1890 - 1969) Appears on the Silver Dollar with George C. Marshal. Dwight David Eisenhower graduated from West Point in 1915. During the First World War he earned the rank of captain and served in subordinate positions. From 1936 to 1939 he was part General Douglas MacArthur's staff in the Philippines. Upon the outbreak of World War Two, Eisenhower was appointed commander of U.S. forces in Great Britain. From that post he led the invasions of North Africa and Italy during which he proved his abilities in forming and implementing military strategies. He also demonstrated an ability to smooth over differences among a diverse group of generals and national leaders who had strong personalities and egos. Eisenhower gained the confidence of President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill which led to his appointment as the supreme Allied commander in Europe. Eisenhower headed up the planning and made the critical decisions that would lead to the D-Day invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. Following the war Eisenhower succeed George Marshal as Chief of Staff and then briefly resigned from the military to become president of Columbia University. In 1951 he was back in the Army serving as supreme commander of NATO. Dwight Eisenhower's political affiliations were so vague that both parties offered him their presidential nominations in the late 1940s and early '50s. In 1952 he made his position known and accepted the Republican presidential nomination. He was elected President by a wide margin in 1952, and was re-elected by even greater proportions in 1956. After initial criticisms for "weak leadership," many modern historians have come to applaud his adroit leadership as president during a period, when viewed in introspect, was neither quiet or placid. In 1948, no one knew what Dwight Eisenhower's political affiliation was. Some Democrats, including President Harry S. Truman, were prepared to offer him their presidential nomination. This unusual button was issued during that peroid. It is a surprisingly inexpensive collectors' item. George C. Marshal (1880 - 1959) Appears on the Silver Dollar with Dwight Eisenhower. Unlike his four colleagues, George Marshal graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (in 1902), not West Point. Though out General Marshal's career he was noted for his administrative and planning abilities. This was the reason for his successful career, but he was also frustrated that he was never appointed to a combat leadership position. During World War I, he received army wide recognition for his work as a training and planning officer in General John Pershing's headquarters for the first American division that went into action in France. Later he served five years as the assistant commandant in charge of instruction at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Marshal was named Army Chief of Staff of in 1939 and assumed command of the Army and its air force on the first day of the war in Europe. Marshal held this position for next six years, and played a vital role in managing a combined military force with increased from 200,000 soldiers at the beginning of the war to over 8.5 million at its conclusion. Winston Churchill described Marshal as, "the true organizer of victory." Marshal was one of the principle advocates of D-Day to accelerate the defeat of the Nazis. After the war Marshal retired from military service, but President Harry Truman brought him back into public service as secretary of state. There he advocated an economic plan to rescue the war ravaged countries of Europe from falling under communist domination though a proposal that would be called "The Marshal Plan." Deteriorating health forced Marshal to retire, but the outbreak of the Korean War prompted President Truman to ask the aging general to assume the duties of secretary of defense. Marshal accepted the assignment and worked to provide military supplies to the allied forces in Korea and bolster the strength of NATO which he promoted in 1948. Marshal retired in 1951 after more than 50 years of service to his country. He won the Noble Peace Prize in 1953. Harry "Hap" Arnold (1886 - 1950) Appears on the Half Dollar with Omar Bradley. General Harry "Hap" Arnold is the least known among the five men honored by this set of coins, but his role in our nation's defense was no less important. General Arnold was an early advocate of the use of airpower for military applications. He got his start by taking flying lessons from the Orville Wright and was soon developing ways to apply the new technology to military functions. His nickname "Hap" was short for "Happy" which referred to his proclivity to get involved in practical jokes and pranks, which often earned him demerits during his West Point years. General Arnold was outspoken in his advocacy to make the Air Force an independent branch of the military. That position often got him in trouble with his conservative superiors. On a couple of occasions General Arnold was close to being drummed out of the Army because his outspoken views. During the Second World War General Arnold commanded America's air force which was then a part of the Army. During that period he achieved the five star general rank, and when the Air Force because a separate entity he transferred to that branch of the armed forces. "Hap" Arnold is the only five star general to hold that rank in two branches of the United States military and the only Air Force general to hold the five star rank. Omar Bradley (1893 - 1981) Appears on the Half Dollar with Harry Arnold. Omar Bradley graduated from West Point in 1915, in the same class with Dwight Eisenhower. He would be the first in his graduating class to earn a general's star for his efforts at the Fort Benning Infantry School and as an assistant in the War Department under the supervision of General George Marshall. During World War II Bradley was Dwight Eisenhower's "eyes and ears" during the North African and Italian campaigns. As the war continued Bradley earned increasingly higher levels of responsibility as he progressed from division to corp. commander. Bradley was not impressed by military pomp and was known as a "soldier's soldier" who had a deep respect for the troops who fought on the trenches. It was perhaps for that reason that President Truman appointed him to lead the Veteran's Administration after the war. That post was particularly challenging because it required him to oversee the demobilization of the forces, address their medical concerns, set up post war education programs and aid veterans in finding housing. President Truman appointed Bradley to be the first Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1948. This new position was created as a result of the unification of the armed forces. In that post he oversaw the conduct of the Korean War and was also involved in the difficult decision to recall General Douglas MacArthur. He retired in 1953. Dwight Eisenhower described Bradley as a "master tactician" and "America's foremost battle leader."
I don't usually buy these "add on" items that the mint sells with the commemorative coins, but I made an exception here. This is a flip chart with the Silver Dollar and Half Dollar plus a small medal that is a copy of the gold medal Congress awarded to Douglas MacArthur by an act dated October 9, 1962. Cover Front page, coins and medal Medal - This piece was included in the set instead of the $5 gold coin in Uncirculated to keep the cost of the set down. Here is the Mint's official picture of the MacArthur medal, which makes it more attractive.
Great write-up, John....I watched a documentary on the book AMERICAN CAESAR on McArthur like 30 years ago during cable's infancy. I think it was on A&E. No commercials as I recall. Book and commentary by William Manchester. I looked into these coins a few years ago but the premium to spot gold was ridiculous. How much gold was the complete set and what did the Mint ask for it at the time ? And what are the prices now ?
Great post John. Thanks. The history in coins is one of the many reasons I collect them. They can be a history lesson to the younger Americans of today.
My records indicate that the set cost $551.45 including the postage. Adding up the piece parts on the Graysheet, it comes to $470.00. It might be a little higher now because gold was at $1,585.30 when the April Graysheet was published.
My grandmother bought these decorative plates shortly after World War II: Five-star admirals and generals, and President Roosevelt to make eight. From top left to bottom right: Admiral King Admiral Leahy Admiral Nimitz General Arnold General Eisenhower General MacArthur General Marshall President Roosevelt Why didn't the admirals make it onto coins?
Maybe the Navy doesn't have the right "enough pull" in Congress. I've read the McArthur bullied Admiral Nimitz quite abit during World War II. McArthur was type of guy who expected people to worship him. He was a great tactical general, Inchon was probably his greatest moment, but he was a prima dona.
