Louis Cukela
Louis Cukela (May 1, 1888 – March 19, 1956) was a Croatian American
Famous for his broken English, best exemplified by his unforgettable saying, "If I want[ed] to send a goddamned fool, I'd go myself" (when a messenger came back with a stupid garbled reply).[2][3]
Biography
Louis Cukela was born on May 1, 1888, in the
On September 21, 1914, he enlisted in the United States Army. He was serving as a corporal in Company H, 13th Infantry Regiment when he was honorably discharged on June 12, 1916.
World War I
Seven months later, on January 31, 1917, with World War I raging in Europe and prior to the United States entry into the war, Cukela enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He became a member of the 66th Company, 1st Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment.[5]
He was deployed to France in 1918 and fought in all the engagements in which the
He was awarded the Medal of Honor by both the Army and the Navy (in the
Cukela was wounded in action twice but since there is no record of either wound at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, he was never awarded the Purple Heart. The first wound was suffered at Jaulny, France, on September 16, 1918, during the St. Mihiel engagement. Cukela was wounded again during the fighting in the Champagne sector. Neither wound was serious.
In addition to the two Medals of Honor, Cukela was awarded the
Cukela received a field appointment to the rank of second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve on September 26, 1918, and was selected for a commission in the regular Marine Corps on March 31, 1919. Promoted to first lieutenant on July 17, 1919, he was advanced to the rank of captain on September 15, 1921. His promotion to major was effected on the day of his retirement, June 30, 1940.
After World War I
After the war, Cukela served at overseas bases in
From June 1933 to January 1934, Cukela served as a company commander with the Civilian Conservation Corps. His last years in the Marine Corps were spent at Norfolk, where he served as the post quartermaster. Retired as a major on June 30, 1940, he was recalled to active duty on July 30, of the same year.
Retirement and death
During World War II the major served at Norfolk and Philadelphia. He finally returned to the inactive retired list on May 17, 1946. Cukela served a few days less than 32 years of active duty in the army and Marines.
On March 19, 1956, Cukela died at the
Cukela was profiled in the August 2018 issue of Naval History magazine.
Decorations
Major Cukela had the following decorations and medals:
- Medal of Honor (Navy)
- Medal of Honor (Army)
- Silver Star
- World War I Victory Medal with Aisne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Defensive Sector clasps and three silver stars
- Haitian Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal with one star
- Yangtze Service Medal
- American Defense Service Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- World War II Victory Medal
- Médaille militaire
- Légion d'honneur (Chevalier)
- Croix de guerre with two palms and silver star;
- Croce al Merito di Guerra
- Commander's Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown of Yugoslavia
- French Fourragère
Medal of Honor citations
Navy citation:
For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, during action in Forest de Retz, near Viller-Cottertes, France, July 18, 1918. Sgt. Cukela advanced alone against an enemy strong point that was holding up his line. Disregarding the warnings of his comrades, he crawled out from the flank in the face of heavy fire and worked his way to the rear of the enemy position. Rushing a
hand grenades, and captured two machineguns and four men.
Army citation:
When his company, advancing through a wood, met with strong resistance from an enemy strong point, Sgt. Cukela crawled out from the flank and made his way toward the German lines in the face of heavy fire, disregarding the warnings of his comrades. He succeeded in getting behind the enemy position and rushed a machinegun emplacement, killing or driving off the crew with his bayonet. With German hand grenades he then bombed out the remaining portion of the strong point, capturing 4 men and 2 damaged machineguns.
Personal life
Cukela was married to Minnie Myrtle Strayer of Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, on December 22, 1923, in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Cukela died on August 10, 1956, just months after Major Cukela. At the time of his death, Major Cukela was also survived by a sister, Mrs. Zorka Cukela Dvoracek, of Šibenik, Croatia.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I
- List of historic United States Marines
References
- Inline
- ^ Military times double MOH recipient
- ^ George W. Hamilton, USMC: America's Greatest World War I Hero by Mark Mortensen, McFarland, Jun 30, 2011 p. 165
- ^ From Belleau Wood to Bougainville: The Oral History of Major General Robert Blake USMC and The Travel Journal of Rosselet Wallace Blake by Robert Wallace Blake, Author House, Oct 1, 2004, p. 63
- ^ "United States Marine Corps, History Division". Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
- ^ a b Bevilacqua Leatherneck 2006.
- Naval History & Heritage Command. 23 January 2008. Archived from the originalon 22 August 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ Inquiry Into Occupation and Administration of Haiti and Santo Domingo, United States. Congress. Senate. Selected Committee on Haiti and Santo Domingo, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1922 - Haiti p. 1644
- ^ Taking Haiti: Military Occupation and the Culture of U.S. Imperialism, 1915-1940 by Mary A. Renda, Univ of North Carolina Press, 2001 p. 161
- ^ Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History by Hans Schmidt, University Press of Kentucky, Feb 17, 2014 p. 123
- ^ The China Marines, Butler's expedition, http://chinamarine.org/Tientsin/ButlersExpedition.aspx
- ^ "Burial Detail: Cukela, Louis (Section 1, Grave 427-A-B)". ANC Explorer. Arlington National Cemetery. (Official website).
- General
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.
- "Major Louis Cukela, USMC". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- "Medal of Honor – Louis Cukela (Medal of Honor citation)". Marines Awarded the Medal of Honor. History Division, United States Marie Corps. Archived from the original on 2007-02-20.
- Bevilacqua, Major Allan C. (October 25, 2006). "Major Louis Cukela" (reprinted by Military.com). Leatherneck Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
External links
- "Louis Cukela". at ArlingtonCemetery.net. 11 July 2023. (Unofficial website).