CUKELA, LOUIS (Army Medal of Honor)

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company 5th Regiment. Place and date: Near Villers-Cotterets, France, 18 July 1918. Entered service at: Minneapolis, Minn. Born: I May 1888, Sebenes, Austria(Sibenik, Croatia). G,O. No.: 34, W.D., 1919. (Also received Navy Medal of Honor.) 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 handgrenades he then bombed out the remaining portion of the strong point, capturing 4 men and 2 damaged machine guns. Sgt. Cukela was born in Sibenik, Dalmatia and the origins of Cukela come from the Island of Solta. My good friend, Ante Jakovcevic, from Solta proved that he is a Croatian Catholic with origins in Solta. He is one of the few that received two Medals of Honor.

CUKELA, LOUIS (Navy Medal of Honor)

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company, 5th Regiment. Born: I May 1888, Sebenes, Austria (Sibenik, Croatia). Accredited to: Minnesota. (Also received Army Medal of Honor.) Citation: For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, dur ing 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 machinegun emplacement, he killed or drove off the crew with his bayonet, bombed out the remaining part of the strong point with German handgrenades and captured 2 machineguns and 4 men.