Which World War II General said "I came through and I shall return"?

MacArthur was a well-known and experienced officer with a distinguished record in World War I, who had retired from the United States Army in 1937 and had become a defense adviser to the Philippine government. He was recalled to active duty with the United States Army in July 1941, a few months before the outbreak of the Pacific War between the United States and the Empire of Japan, to become commander of United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), uniting the Philippine and United States Armies under one command.

In a message to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., on 11 February, MacArthur announced that he and his family intended to "share the fate of the garrison". This meant surrender at best; MacArthur knew that death from artillery fire or an air raid was also likely. Three days later, the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, George C. Marshall, urged MacArthur to send his family away, but MacArthur ignored this part of the message.

Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines began on 11 March 1942, during World War II, when General Douglas MacArthur and members of his family and staff left Corregidor Island, where his forces had been surrounded by the Japanese. They traveled in PT boats through stormy seas patrolled by Japanese warships to reach Mindanao. From there, MacArthur and his party flew to Australia. In Australia, he made his famous speech in which he declared, "I came through and I shall return".