VADM John D. Bulkeley

[Dave Danner]

I am curious if anyone knows much about this man. I had never heard of him until I saw a picture in a museum in Normandy, yet it seems he, not Audie Murphy, may qualify as the most highly decorated US serviceman.

He received the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, two Army Distinguished Service Crosses, the Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit with combat "V", two Purple Hearts, and the Croix de Guerre with a Gold Star, among others.

He commanded a PT Boat Squadron during the Philippine campaign in 1941-42, winning the Medal and also commanding the boat that spirited MacArthur out of the islands.

There was a short bio from the Chief of Naval Information when he died and another when the Navy named a guided missile destroyer after him, but it seems like there should be more.

[cicero]

here is something to read Dave

Admiral John D. Bulkeley, USN

(August 19,1911 - April 6,1996)

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.

Paraphrased from eulogy for Admiral John D. Bulkeley presented by his son:

CAPTAIN PETER W. BULKELEY
19 APRIL 1996
FT MEYER MEMORIAL CHAPEL
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY


cheers glenn

[cicero]

here is another great site
http://www.spear.navy.mil/ships/ddg84/html/namesake.htm
http://www.witman.jatoga.net.au/chs_mac/bulkeley.htm

glenn
the second url is very interesting

[ 26 September 2001: Message edited by: cicero ]

[ 26 September 2001: Message edited by: cicero ]

[cicero]

http://www.lonesailor.org/log.php?se...urnto=mdlhonor

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...502611-5485765
http://www.users.voicenet.com/~lpadilla/fictional.html

[ 26 September 2001: Message edited by: cicero ]

[ 26 September 2001: Message edited by: cicero ]