Serving as a Marine in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sergeant Louis Cukela received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 18, 1918 near Villers-Cotterets, France during World War I. At the time he was serving with 66th Rifle Company, 5th Regiment, 2d Division. Cukela was 30 years old.
5 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on March 15, 1919 — by General John J. Pershing at Coblenz, Germany. He later rose to the rank of Major. Cukela is one of the few people to receive the Medal of Honor twice; see his other award (July 18, 1918).
Cukela was born on May 1, 1888 in Spalato, Yugoslavia — one of 3 recipients born in Yugoslavia. His Medal of Honor is credited to Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Cukela died on March 19, 1956 in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 67. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Cukela is one of 132 Medal of Honor recipients from World War I and one of 45 credited to Minnesota.
Official Medal of Honor citation
[Received both the Army and Navy Medal of Honor for the same deed.]
Army Medal of Honor: 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 machine-gun 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 four men and two damaged machine guns. Navy Medal of Honor For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, during action in the Forest de Retz, near Viller-Cottertes, France, 18 July 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 machine-gun emplacement, he killed or drove off the crew with his bayonet, bombed out the remaining part of the strong point with German hand grenades, and captured two machine guns and four men.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Other decorations and honors
Besides the Medal of Honor, Louis Cukela received:
Source: Wikidata. Gold chips link to our guide to that decoration.
Battles and campaigns
Battle of Belleau Wood
Result: Allied victory
9 Medal of Honor recipients
1918 · World War IBattle of Soissons
Result: Allied victory
4 Medal of Honor recipients
Also served in: World War I, World War II.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Minnesota →
Timeline
- May 1, 1888Born in Spalato, Yugoslavia
- July 18, 1918Act of valor — near Villers-Cotterets, FranceAge 30. 66th Rifle Company, 5th Regiment, 2d Division
- March 15, 1919Medal of Honor presentedby General John J. Pershing at Coblenz, Germany.
- March 19, 1956Died in Bethesda, MarylandAge 67.
- Resting placeArlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia
Biography
Louis Cukela (May 1, 1888 – March 19, 1956) was a Croatian American United States Marine numbered among the nineteen two-time recipients of the Medal of Honor. Cukela was awarded the Medal by both the United States Army and the United States Navy for the same action during the Battle of Soissons in World War I. He was also awarded decorations from France, Italy, and Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
From the Wikipedia article “Louis Cukela”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Videos
Videos load from Vimeo only after you press play.
Further reading
- Two Immigrants + One Battle = Four Medals of Honorcmohs.org · 2021
