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Vice Admiral John
Duncan Bulkeley (August 19, 1911 - April 6, 1996):
John Duncan Bulkeley was
born on 19 August 1911 in New York City, New York. Though a resident of New
Jersey, he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from the State of Texas
and graduated in June 1933. During sea duty as a junior officer, Bulkeley
served in the heavy cruiser Indianapolis, the transport Chaumont, the gunboat
Sacramento, and the aircraft carrier Saratoga. In May 1937, he was promoted
from Ensign to Lieutenant Junior Grade. During the first half of 1941 he
commanded Submarine Chaser Division Two and Submarine Chaser Squadron One,
receiving promotion to Lieutenant in April, and took command of Motor Torpedo
Boat Squadron Three in August. When Japan began the Pacific War in December
1941, Lieutenant Bulkeley skillfully led his PT boats in Philippine area
combat operations, damaging or destroying numerous enemy planes and ships. In
March 1942, he evacuated General Douglas MacArthur and Philippine President
Quezon from Manila Bay to the southern Philippines. For his
"extraordinary heroism" during the difficult early months of World
War II, John D. Bulkeley was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Returning to the United States in May 1942, Bulkeley was assigned to the
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Training Center at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. In
October, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and ordered to Motor Torpedo
Boat Squadron Seven. While serving with his squadron, he was hospitalized for
a period of time. In January 1944, he was promoted to Commander and a few
months later assumed command of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Two. Bulkeley
then transferred to Patrol Torpedo Boat Squadron One Hundred Two, leading the
squadron during the Normandy D-Day Invasion. Days after, he transferred to
command USS Endicott, serving off the Southern French coast. In August 1945,
he fitted-out and served on board USS Stribling. After shore duty at the
Naval Academy, he reported in May 1948 as the Executive Officer of Commander,
Amphibious Group Two on board USS Mount Olympus. After training, he was
assigned as the Chief of the Weapons Division of the Military Liaison
Committee to the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C.
After a promotion to Captain in July 1952, Bulkeley became Destroyer Division
One Hundred Thirty Two and served during the Korean War. Remaining in the
area, he transferred as Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander Cruiser Division
Five. Returning to Washington D.C., he became a staff officer to the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. After this tour, he commanded USS Tolovana before assigned
as Commander, Destroyer Squadron Twelve. In July 1960, he commanded the
Clarksville Nuclear Modification Center at Clarksville, Tennessee. After a
promotion to Rear Admiral in 1963, he assumed command of Naval Base,
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and resolved the water crisis when Cuba stopped the
base's supply. In June 1966, he became Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Eight. A
year later, he assumed duties as President of the Board of Inspection and
Survey in Washington, D.C and remained in that position until retiring in
August 1988. Upon his retirement, he was promoted by Congress to Vice Admiral
on the retired list. John D. Bulkeley died on 6 April 1996 and is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
U.S. Decorations:
- Medal of Honor (Presented by President Roosevelt)
- Navy Cross (Presented by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox)
- Distinguished Service Cross (Army) with Oak Leaf cluster in Lieu of Second
Award (Presented by Gen Douglas MacArthur)
- Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars in Lieu of Second and Third
Awards (Presented by CNO)
- Silver Star (Army) with Gold Star in Lieu of a Second Award
- Legion of Merit with Combat Distinguishing Device-V-for Valor
- Bronze Star with Gold Star in Lieu of a Second Award
- Joint Services Commendation Medal
- Purple Heart with Gold Star in Lieu of a Second Award
- Army Distinguished Unit Award
U.S. Campaign and Service Medals:
- China Service Medal – USS SACRAMENTO
- American Defense Service Medal with "Fleet" Clasp
- American Campaign Medal
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three Bronze Battle Stars for the
following:
Philippine Island Operations 7 Dec 1941 – 6 May 1942
Eastern New Guinea Operations – Torpedo Boat
Operations 17 Dec 1942 – 24 Jul 1944
Lea Occupation 4-22 September 1943
- European- African- Middle East Campaign Medal with two Bronze Battle Stars:
Invasion of Normandy
Invasion of France
- World War Two Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star for Second Award
- Korea Service Medal
- Navy Expert Rifle Shot
Foreign Decorations and Service Awards:
- Philippine Distinguished Conduct Star (presented by President Manual Quezon
of Republic of the Philippines)
- Philippines Defense Service Medal
- French Legion of "Honor-Degree of Officer"
- French Croix de Guerre (Presented by Gen. Charles de Gaulle
Second Award (Presented by Monsieur
Louis Mexandeau on the behalf of President Mitterand)
- Korean Presidental Unit Citation
- UN Korean Service Medal
Medal of Honor citation:
Bulkeley, John Duncan
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, Commander of Motor Torpedo Boat
Squadron 3, U.S. Navy.
Place and date: Philippine waters, 7 December 1941 to 10 April 1942.
Entered service at: Texas.
Born: 19 August 1911, New York, N.Y.
Other awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Legion of
Merit.
Citation: For extraordinary heroism, distinguished service, and conspicuous
gallantry above and beyond the call of duty as commander of Motor Torpedo
Boat Squadron 3, in Philippine waters during the period 7 December 1941 to 10
April 1942. The remarkable achievement of Lt. Comdr. Bulkeley's command in
damaging or destroying a notable number of Japanese enemy planes, surface
combatant and merchant ships, and in dispersing landing parties and
land-based enemy forces during the 4 months and 8 days of operation without
benefit of repairs, overhaul, or maintenance facilities for his squadron, is
believed to be without precedent in this type of warfare. His dynamic forcefulness
and daring in offensive action, his brilliantly planned and skillfully
executed attacks, supplemented by a unique resourcefulness and ingenuity,
characterize him as an outstanding leader of men and a gallant and intrepid
seaman. These qualities coupled with a complete disregard for his own
personal safety reflect great credit upon him and the Naval Service.
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Paraphrased from
eulogy for Admiral John D. Bulkeley presented by his son:
CAPTAIN PETER W. BULKELEY
19 APRIL 1996
FT MYER MEMORIAL CHAPEL
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Admiral John
Bulkeley was a patriot, a legend, and a hero in the truest sense. A husband
and a father, he was a simple man who did his duty as God gave him the
ability to do it, a man who tried to keep a low profile but somehow always
ended up in the limelight of life. He devoted his entire life to his country
and to his Navy. Six decades of his life were spent in the active defense of
America. Even after retirement in 1988, he remained engaged in the direction
of our Navy and our country. He represented the U.S. Navy and veterans at
Normandy during D-Day celebrations, laying wreaths and flowers at the graves
of his and our fallen comrades; he provided inspirational speeches to our
youth and to our leadership. He believed in America; he believed in a strong
defense; he believed in a Navy he loved more than his own life.
John Bulkeley's destiny may have been cast long before he sought the salt
spray of the open ocean. His ancestors, including Richard Bulkeley, brought
aboard HMS VICTORY by Lord Nelson just prior to the Battle of Trafalgar in
1804; John Bulkeley of HMS WAGER under Captain Bligh, who sailed with Anson's
Squadron to raid Spanish silver ships of the new world; and Charles Bulkeley,
raising the Union Jack for the first time on an American warship, the ALFRED,
commanded by John Paul Jones, influenced his intense love of the sea. He was
born in New York City, grew up on a farm in Hacketstown, NJ, and wrote his
high school class poem in 1928, if you can believe that. He loved opera. He
loved animals and took great care of feeding and caring for any that sought
his help. He was compassionate to their needs. He loved his black cat.
His love of the sea, however, was his dream and his destiny. Unable to gain
an appointment to Annapolis from his home state of New Jersey, he was led by
his determination to Washington, and, after knocking on a lot of doors, he
gained an appointment from the state of Texas. As America dealt with the
Great Depression, his dream of going to sea, however, received a set back.
Only half of the 1933 Academy class that graduated received a commission.
John Bulkeley, noted early on for his intense interest in engineering, went
on and joined the Army Flying Corps. Like the crazy flying machines of the
day, he landed hard more than once and, after a year, left flying for the
deck of a cruiser, the INDIANAPOLIS, as a commissioned officer in the United
States Navy.
Ensign John D. Bulkeley charted an interesting course in his early years and
was recognized early on by the Navy's leadership. As a new ensign in the
mid-thirties, he took the initiative to remove the Japanese ambassador's
brief case from a stateroom aboard a Washington-bound steamer, delivering
same to Naval Intelligence a short swim later. This bold feat, of which there
were to be many more in his life, didn't earn him any medals, but it did get
him a swift one way ticket out of the country and a new assignment as Chief
Engineer of a coal burning gunboat, the SACRAMENTO, also known in those parts
as "The Galloping Ghost of the China Coast." Picture in your minds
the movie "Sand Pebbles". There he was to meet a young, attractive
English girl at a dinner party aboard HMS DIANA. Alice Wood and the handsome
swashbuckling John Bulkeley would, in the short period of courtship, live an
incredible story together. In China they would witness the invasion of Swatow
and Shanghai by Japanese troops and the bombing of Panay. They were strafed
by warring planes and watched from a hotel soldiers at war in the street
below. John Bulkeley, with an uncanny propensity to stir things up, often
took the opportunity to bait the occupying Japanese soldiers, dashing with
his bride to be into no-mans land, chased by Japanese soldiers, and, every
once in awhile, shooting them with an air pistol on their backsides
"just for fun". He fit the mold of Indiana Jones, hat, coat, and
all, and not necessarily a commissioned officer in fore and aft cap of the
day.
John Bulkeley learned a lot from his experience as a Chief Engineer and also
what war was all about and what an enemy invading force was capable of doing.
At the dawn of World War II, and now a fleet lieutenant commanding motor
torpedo boats, John Bulkeley hit his stride as a daring, resourceful and courageous
leader, determined to fight to the last against enemy forces attacking the
Philippine Islands. His exploits are what make legends as well as movies. As
a young lieutenant he would say, "No one knows what war is about until
you're in it." Fearless in battle, resourceful, and daring was John
Bulkeley. Men like George Cox, skipper of PT41, would write in 1943, "I
would follow this man to Hell if asked." A lot of others would agree.
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, after being ordered out of the Philippines
and arriving at Mindanao following a 600 mile open ocean escape aboard a
77-foot motor torpedo boat through enemy lines, would say, "You have
taken me out of the jaws of death. I shall never forget it."
John Bulkeley's daring exploits will never be forgotten. Hard as leather on
the outside, he was also a man with compassion and love for his fellow man.
Reflecting upon those terrible early days of World War II, he wept over the
decision that his men and our Army at Bataan were left behind to face an
enemy of overwhelming strength, but he also acknowledged that when the coach
calls upon you to bunt and sacrifice, you do, with all the strength and
conviction you can muster, for the overall victory cannot be achieved unless
we are prepared to give it our all. From the Pacific campaign, where he would
command another squadron of PTs, he would go to the European theater just in
time for the Normandy invasion. At Charles de Gaulle Airport, a WWII vet,
recognizing the Admiral, engaged him in a conversation. As they departed, the
Admiral said to this vet, "See you in the next war." Upon hearing
this, the veteran quickly came to attention, rendered a snappy salute, and
responded, "I’ll be there, ready to fight."
Where do we find such men? John Bulkeley led naval forces of torpedo boats
and minesweepers in clearing the lanes to Utah Beach, keeping German E-Boats
from attacking the landing ships along the Mason Line and picking up wounded
sailors from the sinking minesweeper TIDE and destroyer CORY. The tale of his
WWII exploits would not be complete without the mention of his love for
destroyers, of which he would command many in his years to come. As Normandy
operations wound up, he got his first large ship command, the destroyer
ENDICOTT, and a month after the D-day invasion of Europe he came to the aid
of two British gunboats under attack by two German corvettes. Charging in as
dawn’s light broke the horizon with his uncanny ability and determined
leadership, with only one gun working, but with a band of brothers for a
crew, he unhesitantly engaged both enemy vessels at point blank range,
sending both to the bottom. When I asked him about this action, he replied,
"What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the
reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."
The Admiral was a strong believer in standards, some would say, from the old
school, as the enemy Captain of one of the corvettes soon learned. Coming up
from the sea ladder, he would not salute the colors of the ENDICOTT, and was
promptly tossed back into the sea. The third time did the trick, and he was
taken prisoner and allowed on deck. World War II closed, and the Admiral
emerged as one of the Navy’s and America’s most decorated hero’s, having been
awarded the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, the Army Distinguished Service
Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second award, two Silver Stars, the
Legion of Merit with Combat V, the Purple Heart twice over, the Philippine
Distinguished Conduct Star, and from France, the French Croix de Guerre.
Asked about his many decorations, John Bulkeley would only comment,
"Medals and awards don’t mean anything. It’s what’s inside you, how you
feel about yourself, that counts."
With an eye to the future, John Bulkeley looked forward to the day he would
become an admiral in the navy he loved so much. As President Kennedy in the
early months of his administration dealt with an ever-increasing crisis over
Cuba, the Admiral got his wish and for a quarter of a century would serve as
a flag officer in the Navy. Challenged in his first assignment as Commander,
Guantanamo Naval Base, he met and defeated the challenge of Fidel Castro’s
threats of severing the water supplies of the base. Today, Guantanamo stands
as a symbol of American resolve because men like John Bulkeley stood up,
refused to bend, and took the initiative to stare down belligerent threats of
lesser men not friendly with America. Perhaps a tribute of the time was the
wanted poster, offering 50,000 pesos for him, dead or alive, by the communist
leadership of Cuba along with a description, "…a guerrilla of the worst
species". At Guantanamo, as those that have visited know, there is a
hill that overlooks the northeast gate, A Gate, with a sign that reads
"Cuba, Land Free from America". As Cuban troops began moving about,
his 19-year-old-driver, a Marine lance corporal, came running up and stood
directly in front of the Admiral, ready and willing to take the bullet that
would end the life of his Commander. The Admiral loved his Marines; the
Marines loved and respected him in return. He would be with them day and
night, in fatigues, ready to conduct war if necessary but more to defend
Americans and The Land of the Free against the communist yoke of tyranny. As
COL Steven’s, the former commanding officer of the Marine barracks at
Guantanamo, wrote, adding three more stories to the legend of John Bulkeley,
"The Admiral had the compassion for the men in the field, taking time
again and again to bring them relief, whether cookies on Christmas morning or
visiting them at odd hours of the night to ease their nerves. They loved this
man." The Admiral would construct on that hill the largest Marine Corps
insignia in the world as a quiet reminder that the United States Marine Corps
stood vigilance over the base. In tribute, a Marine would write, "John
Bulkeley, Marine in Sailor’s clothing."
John Bulkeley never forgot his early years, the hard-iron like discipline,
the poor material condition of the fleet, and the need to always be ready, in
his own words, "…to be able to conduct prompt, sustained, combat
operations at sea." Assigned as President of the Board of Inspection and
Survey, a post held by many distinguished naval officers since it’s inception
almost at the beginning of the Navy, his boundless energy would take him
aboard every ship in the Navy, from keel to top of the mast, from fire
control system to inside a boiler, discussing readiness and sharing sea
stories and a cup of coffee with the men who operate our ships, planes, and
submarines. He was relentless in his quest to improve the safety and material
condition of the fleet and the conditions for the health and well being of
those that manned them. He conducted his inspections by the book in strict
accordance with standards as many a man well knows, but his love for the
sailors always came through. His "Just thought you’d like to know"
letters were another invention of his that were designed to be
"unofficial reports" but of course were often greeted by a groan
from the recipient in the Navy’s leadership, knowing that John Bulkeley had
another concern that needed attention and that the list of information
addressees receiving the same "Just thought you’d like to know"
letter often was longer than the letter itself. The Admiral would laugh about
his informal invention.
After fifty-five years of commissioned service, John Bulkeley retired to
private life. John Bulkeley did not like notoriety and wanted to keep a low
profile throughout his life, even on his last day in the Navy. His ceremony,
as requested, was brief and to the point, held in the CNO’s office, with
family present. All he sought after giving his entire life to his country and
his service was to have the CNO’s Flag Lieutenant open the door so he could
slip his mooring line and leave quietly. John Bulkeley’s career and service
to the nation spanned six turbulent decades of the 20th century. He saw first
hand desperate times and the horror of war. Yet he was also a father,
marrying the woman he loved, and in his own words, "It was the best
thing I ever did." He raised a family he could be proud of. His wife was
his right arm, his closest friend for a long and full life. She gave him love
and support. She was truly "The Wind Beneath His Wings". Before he
passed away, his family, every member, child, grandchild, son, and
daughter-in-law came to be with him in his last days. This by itself is
testimony to the legacy he left behind and the love his family had for him.
Admiral Bulkeley’s efforts and sacrifices for a better world, a free world,
his integrity and honor, and a combat ready fleet, ready to conduct prompt,
sustained combat operations are his legacy to our nation.
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