THIS QUEENS NATIVE EARNED A MEDAL
OF HONOR FOR SERVICE IN WORLD WAR II
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 21-27, 2020 13
In conjunction with
the Greater Astoria
Historical Society,
TimesLedger Newspapers
presents noteworthy
events in the borough’s
history.
Nicknamed “Sea Wolf,”
John D. Bulkeley was a
Vice Admiral in the United
States Navy who served
his country for 55 years
from 1933 to 1988. Admiral
Bulkeley was awarded
the Congressional Medal
of Honor for his service
in the Philippines in early
World War II, which included
evacuating General
Douglas MacArthur from
the island fortress of Corregidor.
The Queens native
also met and persuaded
future President John F.
Kennedy to serve on a PT
boat during the war.
John D. Bulkeley was
born on Aug. 19, 1911, and
lived as a baby in the Thomson
Hill neighborhood of
Queens. The future career
Navy officer grew up on
a farm in Hackettstown,
New Jersey, and graduated
the US Naval Academy
in 1933.
At the outbreak of World
War II, then Lieutenant
Bulkeley was in command
of a squadron of six torpedo
boats in the Philippines.
He took General
MacArthur and his staff
in a small, dangerously
exposed torpedo boat over
600 miles of open ocean to
safety and eventual evacuation
to Australia. The
swashbuckling general
said to the Queens native,
“You have taken me out of
the jaws of death. I shall
never forget it.” For his
courageous service, President
Roosevelt awarded
the US military’s highest
honor to the young sailor,
the Medal of Honor.
During the Normandy
invasion in 1944, the he led
torpedo boats and minesweepers
in protecting the
sea lanes to Utah Beach
and rescuing sailors from
sinking allied ships.
With America and her
allies emerging victorious
in World War II, Commander
Bulkeley continued
to serve his country
through the Cold War. He
commanded a destroyer division
in the Korean War,
and latter commanded
an air base in Tennessee.
The base commander was
known for testing the alertness
of the Marines guarding
the facility by dressing
in a ninja suit and trying
to sneak past them undetected.
In 1963, President Kennedy
promoted Captain
Bulkeley to Rear Admiral
and sent him to command
Naval Station Guantanamo
Bay in Cuba. John D.
Bulkeley retired from the
navy as a Vice Admiral in
1988, and passed away in
1996.
Admiral Bulkeley’s service
awards included the
Medal of Honor, the Navy
Cross, the Distinguished
Service Cross and the
Purple Heart. The headquarters
building at Guantanamo
is named for the
Queens native, as is the US
Navy destroyer USS Bulkeley
(DDG-84).
Notable Quote: When
asked to explain his valor
and daring in fighting
Bulkeley explained “What
else could I do? You engage,
you fight, you win. That is
the reputation of our Navy,
then and in the future.”
For further info, call the
Greater Astoria Historical
Society at 718-278-0700 or
www.astorialic.org.
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