When Americans stormed ashore at Leyte, it fulfilled a promise made by Gen. Douglas MacArthur made in the dark days following the fall of the Philippines to the Japanese in 1942. NOTE: This picture was staged by MacArthur during a re-take. He was upset when he had to walk in the sea water to the beach. But when the American public reacted positively to the image, he asked to re-take the scene. Then every time he landed on a beach, his staff made sure that the news photographers took the photos of MacArthur walking through the sea water and to the beach.