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Major
Louis Cukela,   USMC
Kingdom Of Dalmatia, Non-US
Enlisted - 1914
Deceased - 1956
Buried at
Arlington National Cemetery, VA
Military Service
World War I (1917-1918)
  • World War I American Expeditionary Force
    • Battle of Belleau Wood (Bois de Belleau), France
    • Action in Forest de Retz and near Viller-Cottertes, France
    • Battle of Soissons (Soissonnais, Ourcq), France
    • Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Battle of the Argonne Forest), France

Rank


Units


13 INF REGT

8 INF DIV

2 INF DIV

1/5 MARINES

Awards





Story of Service
Major Louis Cukela
Submitted by Paul Burgholzer

Major Louis Cukela was born in the Croatian city of Split, which at the time existed under the domain of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. He immigrated from the Balkans to the United States in 1913. He served in the US Army from 1914-1916 and then joined the US Marines and served with them during the First World War.

He was famous for speaking in broken English. Once he was reprimanding a negligent subordinate and famously said “Next time I send damn fool, I go myself." This phrase was jokingly spread among the ranks of front-line soldiers. It is rumored that even General Pershing used the phrase once. 

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