Ninth Generation (Continued)
Family of William D. Buckalew (1191) & Harriet Hinkle
2153. William S. Buckalew. Born in 1903. William S. died in 1951; he was 48.
In 1951 when William S. was 48, he married Clara Canter.
2154. Philip Hinkle Buckalew. Born in 1915. Philip Hinkle died on 30 December 1992; he was 77. Nickname: Phil.
>From: BUCKLEW@aol.com
>Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2002 16:49:30 EST
>Subject: Phil Hinkle Bucklew Info
>
>Here's the Phil Bucklew info in e-mail form:
>
> "Phil Hinkle Bucklew, Navy Captain, Dies
>
> Phil H. Bucklew, Retired Capt., US Navy, died Wed., December 30, 1992, at Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, VA. Husband of Helen N. Bucklew. Buried at Arlington National Cemetery, with full military honors January 6, 1993."
>
> *****
> By J. Y. Smith
> Washington Post Staff Writer
>
> Phil H. Bucklew, 78, a retired Navy captain who was heavily decorated in World War II for heroism during the invasion of Sicily and the landings in Normandy, died Dec. 30 at Fairfax Hospital. He had suffered a series of strokes.
>
> An authority on military specialties, such as scouting enemy-held beaches and the demolition of underwater obstacles, Capt. Bucklew was one of the founders of the SEALS, the Navy's modem special operations units. He was a former commander of the Naval Operations Support Group, and in 1987, the Phil H. Bucklew Center for Naval Special Warfare was dedicated at the Navy's amphibious base in Coronado, Calif.
>
> Capt. Bucklew was a young ensign in 1943 when he commanded a scout boat during the landings on Sicily, an operation in which he won the Navy Cross, the highest decoration for bravery in the service except for the Medal of Honor. The citation accompanying it said he disregarded enemy searchlights and artillery and machine gun fire that hit his boat to locate the beach where the landing was to take place and guide assault waves to it. He also was praised for the care and attention with which he had trained his crew.
>
> On D-day, June 6, 1944, he won a Gold Star in lieu of a second Navy Cross while commanding a scout boat leading the first wave of tank-carrying landing craft to the beach. On that occasion he had to fight heavy surf as well as enemy fire. He remained on station as a guide boat all day, directing assault waves and giving supporting fire against German positions. He also rescued from the sea a number of soldiers whose landing craft had been hit and set on fire.
>
> Capt. Bucklew was born in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati. As a young man, he was a professional football player, He began his naval career in World War 11. In addition to the landings in Sicily and Normandy, he took part in amphibious operations in North Africa and at Salerno, Italy, where be won the Silver Star. He finished the war in China.
>
> Capt. Bucklew left the service for two years in the late 1940s, but returned to active duty in 1948. He served at various bases in the United States and in Korea and Vietnam, where he commanded SEAL units. He was assigned to the Navy Department in the Pentagon when he retired in 1969. A resident of the Washington area since 1967, he lived in Fairfax. From 1974 to 1984, when he retired for reasons of health, he was
the Washington representative of Swiftships, a Louisiana boat-building company.
>
> In addition to the Navy Crosses and the Silver Star, his decorations included the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
>
> He was a member of the Army-Navy Country Club. Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Helen N. Bucklew of Fairfax.
>
> *****
> "by Bill Salisbury
> San Diego Reader
> December 2, 1999
>
> The Navy drew its UDTs* from Naval Combat Demolition Units. These units probably had more strategic impact than SEALs and UDTs combined in any war: they cleared Normandy beaches before the invasion and took nearly 80 percent casualties.
>
> SEALs trace their origin to a WWII Navy commando unit called Scouts and Raiders. This unit recruited from college and professional athletic teams. Scouts and Raiders operated primarily in Europe and North Africa collecting beach and hinterland intel. Scouts and Raiders also attacked enemy coastal targets. They were not joined at the hip with the Marines, as were the UDTs.
>
> My first boss in the Navy was Phil Bucklew, the most famous Scout and Raider of them all. Bucklew was a thrice-passed-over commander on the brink of forced retirement when, as a fresh-caught ensign, I reported aboard an obscure amphibious staff to work for him.
>
> At six-four or so and going maybe 250, Bucklew was every bit as scary looking as Jesse. Bucklew had played pro football as a fullback for Cleveland before War Two, as he called it. But I never saw him lift weights or snarl at anyone. The guy used to grin and laugh a lot. Maybe because he saw the humor in having been passed over in favor of midgets. I mean, here's a guy who was drenched in medals like Navy Crosses and Silver Stars and had a Ph.D. in education from Columbia. Passed over in favor of midgets, but absolutely no bitterness or vanity in the man, just lots of charismatic humor.
>
> And, oh, the places he'd gone and the stories he'd tell. Like the Intel. trek across China, being handed off from one partisan group to another, checking out Japanese fortifications along the way. Owing to his size and inability to speak Chinese, the partisans disguised him as a deaf mute.
>
> Yes, he told magnificent stories, which had much to do with my
> becoming a SEAL. But Phil Bucklew never wrote a book. Or >inhaled steroids.
>
> Bucklew was rescued from forced retirement when President Kennedy championed unconventional warfare to counter communist guerrilla "wars of national liberation." Kennedy resurrected the Army's Special Forces and ordered the Navy to commission a force of commandos called Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) Teams. The acronym represented the elements through which the commandos could assault or recon their targets. Two teams of 10 officers and 50 enlisted were drawn from experienced members of UDTs 11 and 12 stationed in Coronado and UDT; 21 and 22 in Little Creek, Virginia. All the frogmen were volunteers and only the best needed to apply. The SEAL Teams more than doubled in size during the Vietnam War.
>
> The Navy promoted Bucklew to captain and placed him in overall
> command of SEAL Team One and UDTs 11 and 12. His staff was first designated Naval Operations Support Group One and later became Naval Special Warfare Group One.
>
> * Underwater demolition teams (frogmen)" Bob Bucklew
Philip Hinkle married Helen Nagle.
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This genealogy web site will terminate production on December 31, 2004.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your life these past six years. - Les Buckalew