BOND MURRAY, ENS, USNR
Bond Murray '41
Bond Murray was admitted to the Naval Academy from Georgia on July 20, 1936 at age 17 years 8 months.
Lucky Bag
Bond Murray is one of the names listed below this passage:
These are the men who have been at one time members of the Class of Nineteen Hundred Forty-one, but for various reasons—often things over which they had no control—they did not remain to finish with us. Some of them are now in civilian life, and to them we wish all the success that life can offer. Others are members of classes now in the Academy, and for them we hope that our meeting as brother officers in the Service, though delayed, is no less certain of fulfillment.
Loss
Bond was killed in action with Japanese forces on or about July 2, 1942. There are conflicting reports of the nature of his death. The POW Medal citation (and at least one other source) indicates he was a part of the defense of Corregidor prior to being executed by he Japanese while in captivity. His obituary from 1946, however, indicates he was killed in action while near Lake Lanao, Mindanao, Philippines.
Other Information
From USGW Archives:
Danielsville Monitor, 22 February 1946
MEMORIAL SERVICE SUNDAY FOR ENS. BOND MURRAY
Memorial Services for Ens. Bond Murray were held last Sunday morning at 11:00 o'clock at the Danielsville Baptist Church, of which he was a member. Rev. A. E. Logan, of Athens, who baptized Bond, conducted the impressive service.
In addition to his parents, Ensign Muffay is survived by a brother Hamil Murray, USNR, now a senior medical student at Emory University, Atlanta.
The 27 year old Navy officer, son of Judge and Mrs. J. T. Murray, members of two of this section's most highly esteemed and widely known families, was previously reported as missing in action. After the required length of time, his status was changed by the Navy and on February 11th his parents were notified by the Department that his name had been placed on the list of those who had given their lives for their country. His death, the official communication from H. Steve Heusen, Acting Secretary of the Navy, said is presumed to have occurred December 17th 1945.
A graduate of Danielsville High School, Ensign Murray attended North Georgia College at Dahlonega for a year and then attended the United States Naval Academy of Annapolis. He was employed by the State Highway Department in Atlanta at the time he went into service in August of 1940. After preliminary training and the customary cruise, he was ordered to Northwestern University where he was commissioned in December of the same year.
Ensign Murray was assigned to duty at Cavite, Philippine Islands, and sailed from San Francisco in January of 1941, reaching Cavita about February 1st.
He served on the U.S.S. Pigeon under the commander Richard E. Hawes, of Thomson, Ga. until the outbreak of war and then was transferred to Motor Torpedoboat Squadron Three, under command of Commander John D. Bulkeley, one of the most famous squadrons operating in the Pacific.
It was this squadron of Commander Bulkeley's that thrilled the allied world by its daring in evacuating General Douglas MacArthur from Corregidor, and also took to safety President Manuel Quezon from the Philippines, as well as millions of dollars in gold bullion.
Awarded the Silver Star for gallantry and holder of two Presidential Citations, Ensign Murray was last heard from at Lake Lanoa, Mindanao, where he was in command of an anti-aircraft battery.
For some time he was listed as missing, and a letter from Admiral Randall Jacobs, Chief of Naval Personnel, suggested he was a prisoner of war, mentioning he was serving at Cuba at the time of its capitulation. Admiral Jacobs noted Ensign Murray had orders to be flown to safety if he so desired, but that he refused to take advantage of the offer 'considering it was his duty to stay with his men.'
A letter from commander Bulkeley to Judge and Mrs. Murray cited Ensign Murray's part in the taking to safety of General MacArthur and also of the rescue of President Queson, and said Ensign Murray had received the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action.
Commander Bulkeley reported in his letter that a plane was sent to Lake Lanoa to take out the officer and others, but that the plane was filled with Army nurses when it returned.
He has a memory marker in Georgia, and his mother was listed as next of kin.
On February 26, 2020 researcher Kathy Franz made contact with one of Bond's nephews, who indicated that Bond's sister-in-law, Alma, may have a photograph of him.
Silver Star
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Army Award) (Posthumously) to Ensign Bond Murray (NSN: 0-95808), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as Executive Officer of Motor Torpedo Boat THIRTY-FIVE (PT-35), Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron THREE (MTB-3), from 11 to 13 March 1942, in the Philippine Islands during a extraordinary action in a retrograde maneuver involving General Douglas MacArthur. With marked skill and coolness, Ensign Murray performed this mission of major strategic importance and of a most hazardous nature in the face of greatly superior enemy forces. His conduct throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Military Forces of the United States.
General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, General Order No. 43 (March 15, 1942) & Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 306 (September 1942)
Action Date: March 11 - 13, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Ensign
Company: Executive Officer
Regiment: Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 (MTB-3)
Division: Motor Torpedo Boat 35 (PT-35)
Prisoner of War
From Hall of Valor:
Ensign Bond Murray (NSN: 0-95808), United States Naval Reserve, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War and subsequently executed by the Japanese on or about 2 July 1942.
General Orders: World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data Files, created 4/2005 - 10/2007
Action Date: May 6, 1942 - July 2, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Ensign
Division: Prisoner of War (Philippine Islands)
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
April 1941
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
