Colonel Michael Joseph Buckley Jr. (May 17, 1902 – August 17, 2006) was the first American prisoner of war during World War II when, as a major in the United States Army, he was captured near Tobruk on November 23, 1941 by German military forces under the command of Lieutenant-General Erwin Rommel, also known as "The Desert Fox."

This was two weeks prior to the United States entering the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

[1][2] 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 Lieutenant-General 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.

[1][2] 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.