Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Oct. 20, 2024.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Oct. 20, 1944, Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte in World War II, fulfilling a promise he made after being ordered to evacuate the country two years prior by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

After advancing island by island across the Pacific Ocean, MacArthur waded ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte.

The son of an American Civil War hero, MacArthur served as chief U.S. military adviser to the Philippines before World War II. The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched its invasion of the Philippines. After struggling against great odds to save his adopted home

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