Michael Bak Jr.

Articles by Michael Bak Jr.

Oral History—Destroyer Man

By Michael Bak, Jr.

September 1990

Bak represents hundreds of thousands of young men who grew up during the Depression and went off to fight in a global war on behalf of their nation.

In the Thick of the Fray at Leyte

By Michael Bak Jr.

October 2021

A first-hand account of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

A Japanese woman and child are surrounded by the rubble of a destroyed Tokyo in this September 1945 photo taken by a U.S. sailor. As Quartermaster Michael Bak observed, “We saw nothing but ruins, and how people lived in that ruin is beyond me.”

As I Recall - ‘Why Didn’t They End the War a Lot Sooner?’

By Michael Bak Jr.

August 2020

The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Franks (DD-554) participated in the Central Pacific campaign, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the final conquest of Japan.

Michael Bak Jr.

Articles by Michael Bak Jr.

Oral History—Destroyer Man

In the Thick of the Fray at Leyte

As I Recall - ‘Why Didn’t They End the War a Lot Sooner?’

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