Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 70



Only Noblemtl

#070

As expected, the 9th Dan in politics was different no matter what.

Yes, that was it. In fact, my resignation was a kind of show.

So, you could say that it was a show of abdication that was performed by King Seonjo or King Yeongjo in the old days.

What if Hoover really accepts my resignation?

Well then, there’s nothing we can do.

Wouldn’t it be okay for an army major general to just work hard and do his job as a division commander?

By the way, I said I would resign, that is, step down from my position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I did not say I would retire.

I still have a long way to go until retirement.

People usually think of my resignation as a discharge from the military, which is a mistake made by those who served as Army Chiefs of Staff when they were nearing retirement age.

I said I was quitting as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, I didn’t say I was quitting as a soldier.

Even in the history of the original, MacArthur, who had stepped down from the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dispatched to the Philippines as a military advisor, but he was still on active duty and retired two years later upon reaching the retirement age.

And politics? That’s something I could do whenever I wanted.

My goal there was to become President of the United States and make this country the most powerful country in the world.

Isn’t that something that will all happen when the time comes without me having to step forward?

What I wanted to do was to beat Japs and make South Korea go on a better path than I knew.

To do that, the place I should be now is not the Capitol or becoming the governor of some unknown place, but the military.

Let’s say the Pacific War breaks out and retired soldiers are called up for active duty.

But then, if I were to be a governor or a minister, would that be possible?

But why bother with the show of abdication, or rather resignation, for now?

“There were authors who compared me to Napoleon.”

“what?”

Roosevelt looked dumbfounded at my words.

“So you were worried that you might stage a coup?”

“That’s what they said.”

“What kind of idiot would come up with such nonsense···.”

Roosevelt was dumbfounded and asked, “Have you thought about it?”

Why can’t we just occupy the White House?

What am I worried about when the army is in my hands?

If you are fantasizing about what it would be like to be the Napoleon of the New World, then you are talking about a country that doesn’t even know the United States.

The biggest difference between this United ‘China’ and the original ‘China’ was the character of its people and the form of the country.

America was not a nation united under the leadership of a hero, but rather a United States formed by the union of different states.

Moreover, the desire for freedom flowed along with the blood in the veins of Americans.

Coup? Napoleon? Dictatorship?

This was impossible in America.

Well, maybe taking over Washington would be possible.

However, the identity of a democratic nation that had lasted for over a hundred years was not something that could be easily eliminated.

If I were to take Washington and become an emperor, a dictator, or whatever, the other states would surely say, “Okay, but we’ll secede!”

And then he would form a punitive force behind it.

Would the Army still follow me in that situation? No way.

“It’s ridiculous. But if I’m not careful, I might end up with words like Napoleon or Coup d’état next to my name.”

“Ha. That’s true.”

As always, what matters is what people think.

No matter how much I shouted that I had no intention of becoming an emperor like Napoleon, it was dangerous if others saw me as a potential Napoleonic candidate.

“It’s good that the Bonus Army situation was resolved thanks to Anna, but on the other hand, didn’t my name value increase too much because of it?”

“Those Republicans really set up a good net.”

Even though it failed, the trap set by the Republicans still remained.

Right now, the shock from Anna leaving is so strong that even talking about me as her husband feels burdensome, but I wonder how long this will continue.

So, with this resignation show, I am expressing my intention that the banner of ‘civilian control’ that the United States has long upheld is still alive and that I respect it.

It is a reminder that it is the President who decides the Army Chief of Staff.

I also conveyed to the Republican Party that I have no intention of joining hands with the Democratic Party yet.

What are you going to do? Am I really going to join the Democratic Party? Are you not going to hold on?

The words written in the resignation letter could be roughly said to be this question.

“It seems like it will be a while before we join hands with the Democratic Party. There will be many authors who will be disappointed.”

“There’s nothing I can do. And I’ve said this many times, but I’m not interested in politics. I’m too busy building things that only whine and cry at me.”

Above all, why would I need to lower my value by choosing one side?

Whether it was Republican or Democrat, whoever did what I wanted was on our side, and to a soldier, party affiliation was a meaningless distinction.

##

I wonder if the Republican Party is full of idiots like Hoover, who quickly figured out my intentions and responded accordingly.

“How is your wife?”

“I’m fine. I guess I was just a little relaxed that day.”

“That’s fortunate.”

The special envoy sent to me by the Republican Party was none other than Vice President Curtis.

“You can’t revive a bill that has already died and failed to pass the Senate.”

That was right.

Any person who has a proper job has to have pride in his or her work.

When senators voted against Patman’s early bonus payment bill, it was because of their own convictions, regardless of party affiliation.

But who would be happy if they were asked to break that belief after only a few months?

“What the Bonus Army wants is a livelihood, not a bonus.”

“I know. The problem is the situation···.”

“They are retired soldiers, so how about allowing the Army to support them?”

“How do you say that?”

Have you heard of public works?

Many people used to disparage Korea as Hell, comparing it to Northern Europe where people are responsible from cradle to grave, but Korea’s 21st century welfare system is not bad in its own way.

There was a system created to provide emergency livelihood support by providing jobs to vulnerable groups such as the unemployed who are economically disadvantaged. This system was called public works.

Simply providing the poor with goods or money is not a primary method. Isn’t the important thing to enable them to become self-reliant in the long run?

In that respect, public work can be considered a desirable way to encourage work motivation and, furthermore, to help people acquire skills for the future.

“Did you know that the Rainbow Foundation’s free meal service isn’t actually free?”

“Yes. I’ve heard the story. You have to pick up trash or catch rats to get soup.”

“Yes. He who does not work shall not eat. Lenin declared this as a communist principle, but in fact it is···.”

“It’s the Bible.”

“Yes. I think what the Bonus Army needs is not a bonus, but a job.”

“Hmm.”

The plan had already been drawn up.

It would have been entirely possible for the Army to outsource some of its public support projects to veterans.

“But isn’t the budget what’s important?”

“Vice President, isn’t debt also an asset?”

“!”

So, although the Bonus Army did not receive the bonus they wanted, they were able to return home with a means of making a living.

However, Anna’s actions in helping me resolve the Bonus Army situation as I wished had an unexpected butterfly effect.

##

“What on earth is going on?”

“Does this woman have a heart of steel?”

“You stopped a tank with your bare body.”

Anna’s photographs, taken by Dorothea Lange, traveled throughout America and across the Pacific to Japan.

“Are women this rough in America?”

The Japanese who first saw the photo were amazed by Anna’s momentum in stopping five tanks on her own.

“This woman is Douglas MacArthur’s wife.”

“Huh? Is that true?”

“No, why is the wife of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stopping the tank?”

“What on earth is going on in America?”

And after Anna’s identity was revealed, I started to take interest in the chaos going on in America.

“A total of ten thousand retired soldiers gathered in the capital?”

“Isn’t the military trying to stage a coup?”

“Hoo.”

“This woman’s father is said to be Franklin Roosevelt of the Democratic Party.”

“Then aren’t you President Hoover’s opponents?”

“Yes, that’s right.

And they interpreted events through their own eyes.

“If things go this way, won’t the Americans lose interest across the Pacific?”

“With the country in such turmoil, who would have the presence of mind to care about this?”

“okay.”

To them, the Bonus Army incident seemed like the beginning of chaos.

Moreover, Japan was confident in their judgment, having received intelligence that I had submitted my resignation to Hoover immediately after the incident.

“Now is your chance.”

“you’re right.”

In particular, it was the Kwantung Army that was paying close attention to this situation in the United States.

Thus, in early March 1931, when the cold spell was still at its peak, a bomb attack occurred on a railway in Liutaohu, near Fengtian Province, Manchuria.

“This is an act of terrorism by the Chinese.”

At the same time, newspaper reports began to appear one after another that Chinese were carrying out terrorist attacks on the Japanese-owned Manchurian Railway.

“In order to protect good Japanese people and their assets, the Japanese military will not stand idly by and watch this terrorist incident.”

“In order to crack down on the subversive elements operating in Manchuria and maintain peace, the dispatch of troops is inevitable.”

##

“They say Japan invaded Manchuria.”

“okay?”

“Somehow you don’t seem as surprised as I thought.”

“Isn’t it surprising? Wasn’t war the quickest and easiest way to overcome a depression?”

“That is true, but.”

Wasn’t it the innate and inevitable destiny of the United States to become the world’s policeman?

And for me, as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, it was of utmost importance to understand the world situation and devise countermeasures for the future.

Naturally, the Army General Staff held a meeting to discuss countermeasures for Japan’s invasion of Manchuria.

The meeting, which began with a report on the current situation, ended with condemnation and concern over Japan’s actions.

And only after a long time did discussions begin about what to do about this situation.

In the midst of a lot of meaningless table talk, Marshall opened his mouth.

“Mr. President. How about using the Koreans?”

“iced coffee.”

Come to think of it, I was so busy with the Bonus Army that I completely forgot about the story about the Air Force that the Provisional Government talked about.

“But did I tell you that story?”

Marshall responded to my question by asking if I had forgotten that I had introduced him to some Koreans when we met in the Philippines before he left for China last time.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The Koreans, who were so desperate that they wanted to grab onto even straws, were looking for not only me but also every American soldier they knew, and Marshall was among them.

“Honestly, when I see those Chinese guys, all I can do is sigh.”

Those who did not know much about China asked with puzzled faces at Marshall’s words.

“If you look at how they’re being pushed around by the Japanese, you can get a rough idea, but is it really that serious?”

By the way, Marshall, who had been in China for over two years, was considered an East Asia expert in the General Staff.

Marshall sighed at their questions,

“I don’t know if we can stand up to Japan if we support those guys.”

Marshall shook his head, saying that the Chinese made him tremble.

“It would be much more effective to support the Korean people.”