Michael Buckley Jr.

Michael Buckley Jr. (May 17, 1902 – August 17, 2006) was the oldest living graduate of West Point at the time of his death and the first American prisoner of war during World War II when as a United States Army major he was captured near Tobruk by German Nazi military forces under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, on November 23, 1941, two weeks prior to the United States entering the war after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.


Early life and education

Buckley Jr. was born in Bisbee, Arizona Territory, on May 17, 1902, to Michael and Barbara Lally Buckley and grew up in Coalinga, California, where he attended and graduated from, in 1919, Coalinga High School.[1]

Early military career

In 1919, Buckley Jr. attended the United States Military Academy at West Point (New York) graduating with the class of 1923 and receiving his commission in the Field Artillery Branch of the United States Army.[1][2]

Prisoner of war

In the fall of 1941, and while holding the rank of Major, Buckley Jr. was sent to Egypt as an observer of the British forces fighting against the combined Italian and German armies under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

On November 23, 1941, Buckley Jr. was with the 5th South African Brigade who were advancing on Tobruk when Rommel's panzer forces overran their position and he was captured.

As an unarmed non-combatant, Buckley Jr. should have been released, but after Pearl Harbor (that occurred two weeks after his capture) he was interned in Italy until freed by a prisoner exchange in May 1942, thus making him the first American soldier to be held as a prisoner of war during World War II.[1][2]

World War II and later military service

After being freed from German captivity, in May 1942, Buckley Jr. spent the remainder of World War II on the U.S. Army planning staff of General Lesley McNair in Washington, D.C., after which he then served in the Occupation of Japan.

In 1953, while holding the rank of colonel, Buckley Jr. became Professor of Military Science and Tactics for the ROTC program at Santa Clara University, California, and where he retired from his military service in 1954.[1][2]

Educational career, family, and death

After his retirement from the U.S. Army 1954, Buckley Jr. taught mathematics at Santa Clara University until 1968, and where he lived with his wife, the former Eleanor Fletcher, until her death in 1999 after 73 years of marriage.

Buckley Jr. had 6 children, only two of whom survived until his death on August 17, 2006, at the age of 104. He was also the great uncle of Tom Brady.[3][4]

At the time of his death, Buckley Jr. was the oldest living graduate of West Point.[1][2]

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References
  1. "Col. Michael Buckley Jr". Legacy.com. August 23, 2006. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  2. "In Memoriam: Col. Michael Buckley Jr". Santa Clara University. 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  3. "Tom Brady's roots run deep into 19th-century Boston". The Boston Globe. March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  4. "Tom Brady connection to Irish Famine ancestors from Boston discovered". IrishCentral. March 6, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
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