Today we should honor and remember a great American leader, John Bulkeley, who led sailors in the Philippines before the fall of Bataan, attacking numerous Japanese ships and landing parties over five months of continuous combat, dealing with limited supply and maintenance support and culminating in the dangerous dash to bring MacArthur out of Leyte.

MacArthur told Bulkeley, “You have taken me out of the jaws of death. I shall never forget it.” 

Read his Medal of Honor citation:

A version of Bulkeley was played by Robert Montgomery in “They Were Expendable”, based on the book by William Lindsay White. Though fiction, the book was based on real events and is considered an accurate portrayal of Bulkeley’s command, Motor Boat Torpedo Squadron 3, in the Philippines.

Bulkeley continued his wartime service after the fall of the Philippines, clearing mines and opening landing lanes off Utah Beach. Bulkeley recruited John F Kennedy into a PT boat squadron, as well.

Later, Bulkeley commanded his first destroyer, the USS Endicott, and won the Battle of La Ciotat, during Operation: Dragoon, the invasion of southern France. Bulkeley earned praise for closing with two German gunboats at close range, despite having only one working gun himself. “What else could I do?”, he said,  “You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future.”

Read his Silver Star citation form the Battle of La Ciotat:

Bulkeley went on to a long naval career, commanding ships in the Korean War and commanding Guantanamo Bay, before retiring in 1975. He died in 1996 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.