VICE ADMIRAL JOHN D. BULKELEY - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/25/1980 - HFSID 253255

JOHN D. BULKELEY
Typed Letter signed as a Rear Admiral in 1980
Typed Letter signed: "John D. Bulkeley", 1 page, 7x8½. No place, 1980 January 25. On his official letterhead as President, Board of Inspection and Survey, to Steve Juscik, Merrillville, Indiana. In full: "I received your letter today and would be happy to help you start your autograph collection. Enclosed you will find an autographed photograph and my biography. [Items not included.] Warmest regards, Sincerely". John D. Bulkeley (1912-1996) was a Medal of Honor-winning US Navy officer. In the late 1930s, he earned the nickname "Galloping Ghost of the China Coast" while commanding a gunboat in those waters. His medal-winning leadership of the Philippine campaign PT-boat campaign against overwhelming Japanese forces was chronicled in the book and movie, They Were Expendable. In 1942, he skippered the PT-Boat which evacuated General Douglas MacArthur from the Phillipines. MacArthur called him "that bold buckaroo with the cold green eyes." In 1944, he led the torpedo boats and minesweepers clearing Utah Beach in the first phase of the D-Day invasion. He commanded a destroyer division during the Korean War. As commander of the nuclear-armed Clarksville Base in the 1960s, he donned blackface and ninja gear to test base security. Having retired in 1967, he was called back to duty to head the Board of Inspection and Survey, which evaluates the fitness of ships prior to their commissioning and deployment. He retired for good as a vice admiral in 1988. Fine condition.