<p>Gen. Douglas MacArthur (search) (1880-1964) was one of the greatest -- and arguably the greatest -- military leaders ever produced by the United States.</p>
<p>He graduated first in his West Point class of 1903, rose to the rank of brigadier general in World War I, and served as Army chief of staff in the 1930s. During World War II, he was the top commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific (search), masterminding the liberation of the Philippines (search) and the island-leaping strategy that outmaneuvered Japanese forces. He became a five-star general, the highest rank in the U.S. army (and one not held by anyone alive today).</p>