Medal of Honor Monday – Louis Cukela was a United States Marine,,, #MedalofHonorDay

Its #MedalofHonorMonday, where we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have earned the U.S. military’s highest medal for valor. Today is also National #MedalofHonorDay.
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Louis Cukela was a United States Marine numbered among the nineteen two-time recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Cukela was awarded the Medal by both the US Army and the US 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.

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.

He was deployed to France in 1918 and fought in all the engagements in which the 5th Marines participated, from Belleau Wood to the Meuse River Crossing.

Along the way he collected a commission as a second lieutenant, as well as the Medal of Honor and four Silver Star Citations.

From the French, there was the Legion d’Honneur, the Médaille militaire (the first award of this prestigious decoration to a Marine officer) and the Croix de guerre 1914–18 with two palms and one silver star.

Italy decorated him with the Croce al Merito di Guerra, while Yugoslavia weighed in with the Commander’s Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown of Yugoslavia.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor by both the Army and the Navy for the same action on the morning of July 18, 1918, near Villiers-Cotterets, France, during the Soissons engagement.

The 66th Company, 5th Marines, in which Cukela was then a gunnery sergeant, was advancing through the Forest de Retz when it was held up by an enemy strong point.

Despite the warnings of his men, the gunnery sergeant crawled out from the flank and advanced alone towards the German lines.

Getting beyond the strong point despite heavy fire, Cukela captured one gun by bayoneting its crew.

Picking up their hand grenades, he then demolished the remaining portion of the strong point from the shelter of a nearby gun pit.

He took four prisoners and captured two undamaged machine guns.

Medal of Honor citations[edit]

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 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.

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 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 4 men and 2 damaged machineguns.