Matej Kocak (December 3, 1882 – October 4, 1918), a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

sergeant, was

posthumous Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' ...

ly awarded both the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

Medals of Honor,Military times; Double MOH recipient
/ref> for "heroism above and beyond the call of duty" in action against the enemy on July 18, 1918. Less than three months after his act of heroism he was killed in action by enemy gunfire in the

Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge (3 October to 27 October 1918) occurred during World War I, northeast of Reims, in Champagne, France Champagne () was a province in the northeast of the Kingdom of France, now best known as the Champagne wi ...

in France while serving as a member of the 66th Company, 5th Regiment.

Biography

Matej Kocak was born in Egbell,

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coronation of the Hungarian monarch, c ...

(today

Gbely Gbely ( German and Hungarian: ''Egbell'') is a town in the Skalica District, Trnava Region in western Slovakia, close to the Czech border. History The first written record about Gbely was in 1392. It gained town rights in the 16th–17th centuri ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

), in 1882. He emigrated to the United States in 1906, and on October 16, 1907, enlisted in the Marine Corps in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and began his 11-year Marine Corps career at Marine Barracks, League Island, Pennsylvania. He was discharged on October 16, 1911, at the expiration of his first enlistment but reenlisted in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on December 26, 1911, and was assigned to the Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, New York, for duty. For some time he lived in

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, where a large Slovak community used to live. He was member of Slovak Catholic Sokol in this town. During his second enlistment, he served with the U.S. Army at Vera Cruz,

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, from April 30, to November 23, 1914. His enlistment ended on December 25, 1915, at Marine Barracks, New York, New York, but he again reenlisted and transferred to Marine Barracks, Naval Station,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. The following year, he was ashore in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

, where he participated in skirmishes with native bandits in Las Canitas, Azua Province, Dominican Republic. Appointed to the rank of corporal March 23, 1917, he then returned to the United States where he joined the 12th Company at

Quantico, Virginia Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...

. By December 31, 1917, he was again overseas, this time at

St. Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Oce ...

, France. The following January 23, 1918, he joined the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, and on June 1, 1918, was promoted to sergeant and then took part in the attack against the enemy in Bois De Belleau Bouresches sector northwest of Chateau Thierry, France. On July 18, 1918, he participated in the attack at Villers Cotteret Wood south of Soissons, France, and it was on this day he performed the act of heroism for which he was posthumously awarded both the Army and Navy Medal of Honor. October 4, 1918, found him taking part in the Allied drive against the enemy in the Argonne Forest between the Moselle and Forest of Argonne in the vicinity of Blanchmont in Champagne, France, and in the attack against the enemy in the St. Mihiel sector in the vicinity of Thiaucourt, France. He was killed in action on October 4, 1918, and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France.

Medal of Honor Citations

Sergeant Kocak was one of five Marines during World War I to be awarded both the Army and Navy Medals of Honor. Two Medals of Honor may no longer be given for a single incident. ;Army Medal of Honor Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company, 5th Regiment (Marines), 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Born: December 31, 1882, Egbell, Austria. Accredited to: New York. (Also received Navy Medal of Honor). Action date: July 18, 1918. War Department, General Orders No. 34 (March 7, 1919) Citation:

When the advance of his battalion was checked by a hidden machine-gun nest, he went forward alone, unprotected by covering fire from his own men, and worked in between the German positions in the face of fire from enemy covering detachments. Locating the machine-gun nest, he rushed it and with his bayonet drove off the crew. Shortly after this he organized 25 French colonial soldiers who had become separated from their company and led them in attacking another machine-gun nest, which was also put out of action.

;Navy Medal of Honor Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company, 5th Regiment (Marines), 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Born: December 31, 1882, Egbell, Austria. Accredited to: New York. (Also received Army Medal of Honor). Action date: July 18, 1918. General Orders, Navy Department. Citation:

For extraordinary heroism while serving with the Sixty-sixth Company, Fifth Regiment, Second Division, in action in the Villers-Cotterêts section, south of Soissons, France, 18 July 1918. When a hidden
machine-gun A machine gun is a automatic firearm, fully automatic, rifling, rifled action (firearms)#Autoloading operation, autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as Automatic shotgun, a ...
nest halted the advance of his battalion, Sergeant Kocak went forward alone unprotected by covering fire and worked his way in between the German positions in the face of heavy enemy fire. Rushing the enemy position with his
bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
, he drove off the crew. Later the same day, Sergeant Kocak organized French colonial soldiers who had become separated from their company and led them in an attack on another machine-gun nest which was also put out of action.

Silver Star Citation

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, 66th Company, 5th Regiment (Marines), 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Born: December 31, 1882, Egbell, Austria. Action dates: July 18–22, 1918. General Orders: Citation Orders, 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces. Citation:

By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D. 1918), Sergeant Matej Kocak (MCSN: 72825), United States Marine Corps, is cited (Posthumously) by the Commanding General, SECOND DIVISION, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Sergeant Kocak distinguished himself while serving with the 66th Company, Fifth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces at Soissons, France, 18 to 22 July 1918.

Military Awards

Kocak's military decorations and awards include:

References

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External links