The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History www.arkmilitaryheritage.com is a modest tribute to its number one son, General Douglas MacArthur, who was born in Little Rock. His army career spanned a lengthy period, from the 1916 Pancho Villa expedition into Mexico to the Korean war in 1951 when removed by President Truman for insubordination. He oversaw the WW II island hopping campaign in the Pacific. When forced to evacuate the Phillipines by invading Japanese forces in 1942, he famously said “I came from Bataan and I shall return,” doing so triumphantly 2 years later. After the war, he was given the task of democratizing Japan. In a very real sense, political stability and modern consumer wonders by such names as Sony, Toshiba, Matsushita, Honda, Toyota and Suzuki are a legacy of his success.

MacArthur’s silhouette as a bust by Boris Lovet-Lovski at the top of the old wooden stairs is instantly recognizable for those who knew the man. But the museum is not quite all about MacArthur or even the military, as evidenced by a room dedicated to a saxophone player by the name of Bill Clinton.