On 11 March 1942, during World War II, General Douglas MacArthur and members of his family and staff left the Philippine island of Corregidor, where his forces were surrounded by the Japanese. They tr
PT-32, one of the four PT-20 class motor torpedo boats involved in the first part of the journey
MacArthur, as the focus of U.S. war propaganda, became a symbol of Allied resistance to the Japanese
The Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General George C. Marshall (left), confers with the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, in January 1942
Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley (left) at the helm of a PT boat
John D. Bulkeley
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John Duncan Bulkeley was a vice admiral in the United States Navy and was one of its most decorated officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater during World War I
Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines
…to Australia. A submarine was made available, but MacArthur elected to break through the Japanese blockade in PT boats under the command of Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley. The staff MacArthur brought with him became known as the "Bataan Gang". They would become the nucleus of his General Headquarters (GHQ) Southwest…
Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley
Bulkeley as a lieutenant in the Navy
WWII poster with quote from John D. Bulkeley
Lieutenant Commander Bulkeley being awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt