Captain Bucklew is a native of Columbus and a veteran of unconventional warfare and Naval Intelligence. He has been equally prominent in college, professional and service athletics. In 1961, he was nominated to the Sports Illustrated Silver Anniversary All-American football team.
He organized the Navy’s first physiological warfare unit then known as “Beach Jumpers.” He is the recipient of two Navy crosses, the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, a Presidential Unit Citation, the U.S. Army Joint Service Medal and the French Croix de Guerre, plus Korean and Chinese decorations, and the Navy League Meritorious Citation.
In 1987, the new home base for the Navy’s vaulted SEAL Teams was named Phil H. Bucklew Center for Naval Special Warfare. His “splendid leadership,” his “indomitable fighting spirit” and his “tireless devotion under perilous conditions” had reflected “great credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service.”