Theodore Stark "Ping" Wilkinson was a vice admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. He also received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Veracruz, Mexico.
Wilkinson, second from left, with Brigadier General Leonard F. Wing, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner, and Major General John H. Hester aboard Turner's flagship during the New Georgia Campaign.
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The operation, codenamed King Two, launched the Philippines campaign of 1944–45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.
General Douglas MacArthur and staff, accompanied by Philippine president Sergio Osmeña (left), land at Red Beach, Leyte, 20 October 1944.
Amphibious forces approach Leyte, October 1944
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger