General Douglas MacArthur was one of the great heroes of World War II. He was greatly admired by many people, and well loved by the people of the Philippines. One reason for the admiration and love was that he kept an important promise. When the Japanese invasion forced MacArthur to retreat from the Philippines, he promised he would return. Standing in the water in March 1942, before he embarked on a voyage to the safety of Australia, the general promised, "I shall return." And he did.

In October 1944, when he landed on the islands, MacArthur spoke the words that meant so much to the Philippine people. "I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil." He had kept his word. He had fulfilled his promise.

One of the things that we generally admi…