World War I
Marine Corps Double Recipients
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World War I marked the
last of the DOUBLE recipients of the Medal of Honor, the changes of the Medal of Honor
review board of 1917 establishing that only ONE Medal of Honor could be awarded to any
person. The five double recipients from World War I were all members of the United
States Marine Corps, working closely with soldiers of the U.S. Army. For this
reason, they were initially awarded the ARMY Medal of Honor. Later, they were
awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Medal of Honor for the same action. Unlike previous
double recipients, their double award was presented for one action, not two separate
actions. |
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Charles F. Hoffman
aka: Ernest August Janson*
Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
World War I
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Date of Birth: Aug 17, 1878
Place of Birth: New York, NY
Entered Service At: Brooklyn, NY
Date/Place Of Action: Jun 6, 1918 - Chateau-Thierry, France
Unit: 49th Company, 5th Regiment, 2d Division
Date of Award: Jun 06, 1918
Date of Death: May 14, 1940
Place of Burial: Evergreen Cemetery - Brooklyn, NY
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Synopsis: After observing 12 enemy with five
light machine-guns crawling towards the hilltop position his unit had just taken, he
attacked with his bayonette, killing the two leaders and causing the remaining enemy to
flee.
*Name Legally changed
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Louis Cukela
Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
World War I
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Date of Birth: May 01, 1888
Place of Birth: Spalato, Yugoslavia
Entered Service At: Minneapolis, MN
Date/Place Of Action: Jul 18, 1918 - Villers-Cotterets, France
Unit: 66th Rifle Company, 5th Regiment, 2d Division
Date of Award: Mar 07, 1919
Date of Death: Mar 19, 1956
Place of Burial: Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, VA
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Synopsis: Despite warnings from his comrades, he
crawled out from the flank in the face of heavy enemy fire to destroy one machine-gun
nest, then with captured enemy grenades destroyed two more machine-guns.
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