Lieutenant, later Admiral, John Bulkeley, who commanded the PT boat unit that evacuated the MacArthurs. He'd receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for service during the war and served in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Today in World War II History—March 11, 1942: 80 Years Ago—Mar. 11, 1942: In the Philippines, Gen. Douglas MacArthur evacuates Corregidor by PT boat with his family and staff for Mindanao. Col. Karl Bendetsen is appointed director of US Wartime Civil Control Administration to supervise removal of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast. Britain bans sale of white bread, replaced by National Wheatmeal Loaf made of whole wheat and potato flour.
From Sarah Sundin's blog.
This is indeed a day in which a famous event in World War Two occurred, that being the evacuation of Douglas MacArthur and his family from Corregidor. It was done under orders from President Franklin Roosevelt. While MacArthur was obeying a direct order, the event remained famously controversial among some.
Admiral Francis Rockwell and his family was also included, which for some reason is hardly ever noted.
The event was recorded in the well known book They Were Expendable, which was turned into a movie, both of which were produced during the war, the book in 1942 and the movie in 1945. The movie was released, however, just after the war, in December 1945. It was directed by John Ford and featured John Wayne.
Brazilian President Getulio Vargas issued a decree that stated his powers to declare war or a state of emergency, which lead to the confiscation of the property of Axis countries in Brazil.
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