I'm a Filipino in 2023 and I can't imagine hearing this on the radio in 1944. Imagine the morale of the Filipino and American guerillas, as well as the civilians boosted by this speech. The greatest generation really
Yes, quite simply because MacArthur 1) Kept his promise when the ruling government, that the Filipino people swore their allegiance to, left them behind to (in fairness) fight in the EU theatre. 2) MacArthur didn't look at Filipino's as second class citizens, but as equals who once pledged their allegiance and fought equally under the US flag during the 1st world war and didn't complain when they weren't paid their rightful dues. 3) MacArthur was a warrior and man of action, not a politician who'd speak beautiful words. That's why he's "revered", not just in the PI but also in Korea and Japan.
He is loved by almost all Filipinos outside of Leyte too. In Lingayen Gulf there is a long-running dispute between three cities over where MacArthur landed first. Apparently he landed at three separate beaches so the argument is which city did he actually land at first. It is more problematic because Filipinos asked him directly in 1961 when he did his farewell tour what city did he actually land at first and MacArthur said "the one that was the capital of the area"...Well, Lingayen city was the pre-WWII capital of the region but the Japanese and the puppet Filipino regime officially moved it to Dagupan city during WWII, haha. Dagupan city has recently built a beautiful MacArthur Landing Park and they plan on installing statues of MacArthur and his staff as they looked when they landed at Lingayen. Lingayen city has decided to copy them and will also build a MacArthur Landing Park in their own city very soon! I think the reason why there hasn't been a government-built MacArthur monument at Lingayen Gulf is because those 3 cities have fought each other over where MacArthur landed first but two of them have decided to build their own Leyte-style MacArthur memorial/statues now!!!
My Dad was a little boy in the Visayas when MacArthur arrived at Leyte. He took me to see the movie when I was a 9 yr old boy and I saw him cry during the scene where MacArthur gave his "I have returned" radio broadcast. It was electric and now I know and I too cry whenever I watch that scene.
@@hylndrfan Filipinos in the younger generations living now, many of whom don't even know about their own history and the Japanese occupation atrocities, can scarcely imagine the terror and agony under which their relatives lived at the hands of the barbaric murderous Japanese. Those beautiful and reassuring words of General Macarthur coming out of the radio on that glorious day, October 20th, 1944: "People of the Philippines, I have returned...'The hour of your redemption is here'..." brought every single person to their knees thanking God with tears in their eyes. They must have felt the way the Hebrews felt the day they were finally liberated from the Egyptian Pharaoh after 400 years of horrendous, torture, murder, and slavery.
My grandfather was an American army veteran who landed in Mindoro on Dec 15, 1944 and Mindanao on April 17. He was in combat for 77 straight days in Mindanao before going to Kochi Japan. He never talked about the fighting, which was brutal, to my dad or anyone in our family. One day I would like to visit American cemetery in Manila and pay my respects to American and Philippine forces who died. It is important to remember this war and the people who died fighting for freedom.
FILIPINOS AND AMERICANS ARE BROTHERS FOREVER! MY DEAR FILIPINOS PLEASE NEVER FORGET THE AMERICANS WHO DIED LIBERATING YOUR GREAT COUNTRY! SALAMAT PANGINOON!!
Today october 20, 2018 we remember that date when General MacArthur kept his promise, his military genius made it possible to win this war. Thank you to him and to the men who sacrificed themselves for peace be restored
My dad was there and in the same landing as MacArthur. Battle of Leyte had heroes and flawed ones. . MacArthur and Halsey were among the flawed ones. Our heroes have feet of clay. Let’s keep perspective. My dad is my hero.
@@bill1954 Your dad was actually one of the flawed ones and judging by your anti-MacArthur bias he was likely one of the butthurt and jealous USN/USMC/USCG troops who hated that the U.S. Army got all of the glory of liberating the U.S. territory of the Philippines. MacArthur banned Australian ground troops and USMC ground troops from operating in the 1944-45 Philippines campaign except for 1,500 USMC artillerymen who only served for 6 weeks in Leyte Island and then left by December 1944 and that is why the USN and USMC hate him so much while they glorify the bloody meatgrinders and waste of time and U.S. lives called Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The other million troops in the 1944-45 Philippines ground campaign were all Army. MacArthur was an actual hero. You know who weren't heroes? REMFs like the cowards Nimitz, Eisenhower, and George Marshall who all 3 never served in combat or risked their lives like MacArthur did. Halsey actually served on aircraft carriers and battleships in combat right alongside his troops. Nimitz was a poor strategist and the meatgrinder who gave us Peleliu despite Halsey begging him not to do it, Iwo Jima which was never ever used as a fighter escort base and it turned out zero B-29s landed on Iwo Jima due to combat damage as well as only 2,000 B-29 crewmen died in all of WWII compared to 7,000 who died at the wasteful Battle of Iwo Jima, and Okinawa which led to 20,000 dead American troops and 400+ USN ships sunken or damaged including 36 sunken USN ships and 2 heavily/(permanently downgraded to reserve status) damaged Essex aircraft carriers, Franklin and Bunker Hill, which had a combined 1200 dead American troops between those two aircraft carriers. There was no need to send any troops to southern Okinawa yet Nimiz decided they had to do that. If MacArthur was the commander for Iwo Jima and Okinawa everybody and their dog would be complaining about MacArthur...but for some reason Nimitz is praised for such sloppily-conducted battles. Last time I checked MacArthur is the hero (while your dad ISN'T!) loved by all Filipinos with statues all over the world symbolizing all the good stuff that MacArthur did for the world in WWI, WWII, and Korean War. In fact, in Lingayen Gulf the cities of Dagupan and Lingayen are actually going to build two separate and beautiful MacArthur Landing Memorial Parks with statues of MacArthur very soon. MacArthur also has memorials in Japan (statue and his Occupied Japan office room has been kept the exact same since 1951), in South Korea (statue at Inchon), in France for WWI service (bronze memorial plaque), in Australia (MacArthur Chambers which was the building in Brisbane he used as SWPA commander), and in Morotai, Indonesia (they even honored him with a nice statue in Morotai because he chose to smartly invade Morotai with their only 500 Japanese defenders compared to Halmahera Island's 40,000 Japanese defenders. Nimitz never ever took a page from MacArthur's book and chose to stupidly kill Americans and attack heavily defended islands). Without MacArthur's ingenius planning and his brain your dad would not be in the position where you can claim that he is a hero, btw. He would have been one of those wastefully killed by Nimitz soldiers or marines or sailors in Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa. MacArthur is the hero, not your father!
@@bill1954 They were ALL heroes, "especially" your Dad! I am grateful for his service and doing his patriotic duty. It led to the survival of my wife's family, and her eventual birth. So yes indeed, ANYONE who had a hand, no matter how big, medium, or small, or "flawed" in liberating the Philippines from the bloodthirsty, cruel Japanese was a hero! Let's keep perspective.
Ive done quite a bit of research on my family history. My great grandfather US Army 1st Sgt Franklin Lee Alford was part of the people that returned with Macarthur in the Philippines. He was wrapped by a man o war jellyfish while fighting on the beaches. He was shot and was rescued by a Filipino family. He did make it home by the grace of God. America and Filipino are brothers forever.
He is already considered a national hero in the Philippines. In Dagupan and Lingayen cities the governments will build brand-new STATUES of MacArthur at memorial parks to honor him for the 1945 Lingayen Gulf landings.
The bloodshed that occurred there was inconceivable. Excuse me not the bloodshed for obviously the larger theaters could host more bodies, but the sheer brutality of the pacific theater is.. something else.
😊 Well done General McArthur to give liberty to filipinos but some of them hates the States but don't worry that step on that beach in your return will stay forever in our memory regardrs from Caracas
In my Dad's house a portrait of McArthur is on the wall.... I just figured he must have been a president. When I went to my friend's house, I discovered Hispanics didn't have McArthur's portrait anywhere.... Some had JFK pictures or busts... but no McArthur... I had to ask my dad what the deal was... Then we sat down and had a long talk... Now I have a portrait of McArthur in my house... People who come to visit, instantly know that I have Filipino blood running thru my veins...even tho I may not look it... I now also understand why my friends didn't have 50 gal galvanized cans filled with rice in their pantries.. they have beans...Go figure!
One of only a few speeches in American history that can stand with the Gettysburg Address. MacArthur was a man of many virtues and many faults, a true American hero.
I didn’t think he would sound like this. *i don’t know why but I always imagined him sounding like General Gonger from Monsters VS Aliens* I don’t know why.
MacArthur in real life sounded better than Gregory Peck. Peck, a lifelong liberal Democrat, started off before working on the film hating MacArthur very much but then by the time he finished studying MacArthur and finishing the movie he loved MacArthur and said Truman was completely wrong and he supported MacArthur 100% on Korea haha.
I'm part of a Pathfinder/DnD 3.5 group where there is an island ruled by a black prince. I'm gonna find some way to wedge parts of this speech into the campaign when we are inevitably forced to invade the island and liberate the people there
MacArthur is always a great choice. I love the "This is the voice of freedom...General MacArthur speaking" introduction. He sounded like Optimus Prime.
@@charlijazminmcintosh1692 yeah, just like i said its definitely less then 115, if id have to guess its probably less then 90. And how about you take a damn seat so you can actually look me in the eyes you bloody wacky haired midget
