CUKELA, LOUIS - Medal of Honor Recipient
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company, 5th
Regiment. Born: 1 May 1888, Sebenes, Austria. Accredited to: Minnesota.
(Also received Army Medal of Honor.) Citation: 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 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.
This data was extracted from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate, Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863-1973 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973)
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