John Duncan Bulkeley

JOHN DUNCAN BULKELEY (1911 ~ 1996). Medal of Honor Recipient John Bulkeley was born in New York City on August 19, 1911, and grew up in New Jersey. He was unable to obtain an appointment to the United States Naval Academy from his state representative, as each Congressman may only have five constituents appointed to the Academy at any point in time. Undeterred by this setback, Bulkeley went to Washington D.C. to pursue an appointment from another state's Congressman.

A representative granted him an appointment from the State of Texas, and therefore San Antonio was recorded as his place of birth in his military records. Bulkeley graduated from the Naval Academy in 1933. Before World War II he served on the USS Saratoga, the USS Indianapolis, and the USS Sacramento. In February 1941, as a Lieutenant, he took command of Submarine Chaser Division 1 and in December of 1941, he was ordered to the Philippines to command Motor Torpedo Squadron 3, which consisted of six vessels.

Few elements of the Navy remained in the Philippines when Japanese attacks on the islands began in December 1941, and those that did remain were lacking needed spare parts. Against great odds, Bulkeley kept his squadron operational. During the next four months, Bulkeley led his Patrol Torpedo boats to repel Japanese landings, destroy numerous enemy transports, cruisers, and aircraft, sometimes even attacking enemy land forces. On March 11 through March 13, 1942, Bulkeley led the evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur and his staff and family from Corregidor, a fortified island near Manila, under cover of darkness. This action was made famous in the book They Were Expendable, by W.L. White, which was later made into a movie starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. For all of his actions from December 7, 1941 to April 10, 1942, which required great determination and ingenuity due to the lack of supplies, John Duncan Bulkeley was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and took part in the landings at the Trobiand Islands in July, 1943. On June 6, 1944, he commanded all PT boats deployed to assist in the landings at Normandy, France. Bulkeley was promoted to Commander on August 15, 1944, and was made captain of the destroyer USS Endicott. He led the USS Endicott to sink two German corvettes that had attempted to escape a blockade of the harbor at Toulon, France.

After the war he remained in the Navy, becoming Rear Admiral in June, 1963, when he took command of the Navy Base at Guantanamo, Cuba. He became President of the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey in 1967; while in that position he fought to have emergency escape breathing devices installed on every ship in the Navy. This advancement has saved the lives of many sailors.

Bulkeley retired from the Navy in 1975 as a Vice Admiral, but was recalled to service and retired again in 1988. Bulkeley died on April 6, 1996 and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. The U.S. Navy destroyer the USS Bulkeley was named for him and commissioned in 2001.

Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. Arlington National Cemetery Website, http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jdbulkel.htm, July 31, 2003. Cross, David, "They Were Expendable: A Critique of John Ford's 1945 War Film," University of San Diego, http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/filmnotes/They_Were_Expendable.html, July 31, 2003. USO of Illinois, http://www.uso.org/Illinois/default.cfm?contentid=550, December 3, 2005.