Comparison Duty Honor Country

History recognizes both James Mattis and MacArthur as accomplished generals and military leaders. A comparison of their achievements and actions on the duty, honor, and country fronts would be appropriate and on-point.
Being named 11th Commander of the U.S. Central Command was one of the most important highlights of James Mattis’ career. His appointment to head this one unified command was no mean feat. Those selected to serve in this role must demonstrate exemplary leadership capabilities and years of experience in service. Prior to being appointed, Mattis must have shown his dedication and selflessness towards the service of his country. It is also indicative of honor, in that it demonstrates his guiding force overtime as having been high principles and professionalism. This Unified Combatant Command has had 13 commanders to date. Mattis was the 11th.
Also, when it comes to interaction with junior troops, Mattis has been lauded for his good relations with those under his command, despite his seniority. This is indicative of a sense of duty. At all times, Mattis was aware that he was bound by the obligation of the mission and for that reason, he was equals with the junior troops to the extent of the mission.
Douglas MacArthur rose to become a five star general (Harvey, 2008). Obtaining the same is in itself an indication of years of selfless service to the United States army, as it is the top most rank for senior operational military commanders. Like Mattis, MacArthur was awarded many honors and served in very senior roles. In that context, it was the pureness of his character and professional bearing that is indicative of honor on his part. No member of the forces can rise to the level of a five star general or a four star general (in the case of Mattis) without having demonstrated his dedication to his country, honor in the sense of being driven by professional conduct and principles, and duty as regards responsibility and commitment to service.
MacArthur often displayed great courage in war. As a matter of fact, he routinely made trips to the front lines, even though he did not have to, often times exposing himself to harm. His physician once remarked, “I honestly think he wanted to get wounded. This would demonstrate to everyone that he was doing what he believed in” (Duffy and Carpenter, 1997). We could, therefore, say that he had a sense of duty in that he had unrivalled commitment and wore his responsibility with pride. He was also ready to give up his life in defense of what he stood for. This is an indication of honor.




























References
Dufy, B.K. & Carpenter, R.H. (1997). Douglas MacArthur: Warrior as Wordsmith. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group
Harvey, R. (2008). Maverick military leaders: The extraordinary battles of Washington, Nelson, Patton, Rommel, and others. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing.