Magic at War

Back in June 1942, General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), joined the Society of American Magicians.  Founded in 1902, the society is the oldest magic club in the world. MacArthur was one of only  five U.S. Army officers to rise to the rank of General of the Army.  At the time, he was based in Australia. A few months earlier he'd led the defence of the Philippines, earning a Medal of Honor for his role in resisting the Japanese invasion.    General Douglas MacArthur (Source: Genii - The Conjurors' Magazine, July 1942)  Amid the chaos and challenges of war, joining a magic club, wouldn’t appear to be a priority for this hugely capable leader of men. In fact, MacArthur wasn’t a magician, in the normal sense of the term. He didn't do card tricks or appear on stage with box illusions.   Behind this story was a gathering, on 15 June 1942, of the Southern California Assembly of the Society of American Magicians. Meeting for one of its regular evenings in Holl...

1st Lieutenant George H. Cannon was the first U.S. Marine to receive the Medal of Honor in World War Two. The medal is the U.S. government's highest and most prestigious military decoration for acts of valour by American service personnel. In high school, George Cannon was in the magic club and retained a keen interest in magic as he went off to university. He studied engineering at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1938, before joining the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer candidate. He commissioned and, with war imminent, was sent to Midway Island in the Pacific, arriving on 11 September 1941. The Midway Atoll, as its name suggests, lies nearly halfway between Hawaii and Tokyo. It was vital base for the likely impending conflict between the United States and Japan.  On Sunday 7 December, 1941, Cannon, age 26, was assigned as platoon leader of H Battery of the 6th  Defense Battalion. His task was to defend a critical power station on Sand Island.  1st Lieutena...