Louis Cukela (May 1, 1888 – March 19, 1956) was a Croatian American United States Marine numbered among the nineteen two-time recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Vjekoslav Cukela was born on May 1, 1888, in the Dalmatian city of Split, today's Croatia (at the time Kingdom of Dalmatia, Austro-Hungarian Empire).

[2][a] His parents were Đuro Cukela, from the village of Koljane near Vrlika, and Ivanica nee Bubrić from Kaštel Lukšić, and he was the oldest of four siblings, having three sisters.

[citation needed] He was educated in the grade schools of Split, then attended the Merchant Academy and later, the Royal Gymnasium, both for two year courses.

In a 1931 Politika interview with Berislav Angjelinović [hr], Cukela said he had heard that his father back home had been imprisoned by the Austrian authorities at the start of World War I.

From the French, there was the Légion d'honneur, the Médaille militaire (the first award of this prestigious decoration to a Marine officer[citation needed]) and the Croix de guerre 1914–18 with two palms and one silver star.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor by both the Army and the Navy (in the "Tiffany Cross" pattern[6]) for the same action on the morning of July 18, 1918, near Villers-Cotterêts, France, during the Soissons engagement.

In addition to the two Medals of Honor, Cukela was awarded the Silver Star by the Army; the Médaille militaire (he was the first Marine officer ever to receive this medal), the Legion of Honour in the rank of Chevalier, the Croix de guerre with two palms, another Croix de guerre with Silver Star, all by France; the Croce al Merito di Guerra by Italy; and Commander's Cross of the Royal Order of the Crown of Yugoslavia.

Cukela served as a second lieutenant of United States Marine Corps stationed at Maissade, Republic of Haiti in the times of the Second Caco War of 1919–1920.

By 1919, Haitian Charlemagne Péralte had organized more than a thousand armed guerrillas (called cacos), to militarily oppose the United States Marine occupation.

[8] General Barnett, Marine Corps Commandant in 1920 set up a board headed by Colonel John H. Russell Jr. to decide which wartime temporary officers would be retired, demoted, or discharged.

[11] He was famous for his broken English, best exemplified by his unforgettable saying, "If I want[ed] to send a goddamned fool, I'd go myself" (when a messenger came back with a stupid garbled reply).

Major Cukela had the following decorations and medals: Navy citation: For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, during action in Forest de Retz, near Viller-Cottertes, France, 18 July 1918.

With German hand grenades he then bombed out the remaining portion of the strong point, capturing 4 men and 2 damaged machineguns.Cukela visited his childhood home of Šibenik in 1925, publicly displaying his many decorations.