Matej Kocak

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Matej Kocak
1882 - October 4, 1918
Army and Navy Medal of Honor recipient
Place of birth	Austria
Place of death	KIA at Champagne, France
Allegiance	USMC
Years of service	1907-1918
Rank	Sergeant
Battles/wars	Battle of Belleau Wood Battle of Soissons Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Awards	Army and Navy Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Matej Kocak (1882-1918), a United States Marine Corps sergeant, was posthumously awarded both the Army and Navy Medals of Honor, for "heroism above and beyond the call of duty" in action against the enemy on 18 July 1918. Almost three months later, on 4 October 1918, he was killed in action by enemy gunfire in the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge in France while serving as a member of the 66th Company, 5th Regiment.

Matej Kocak was born in Austria, near the Czechoslovakian Hungarian border in 1882. He emigrated to the United States in 1906, and on 16 October 1907, enlisted in the Marine Corps in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began his 11-year Marine Corps career at Marine Barracks, League Island, Pennsylvania. He was discharged on 16 October 1911 at the expiration of his first enlistment but reenlisted in New York City on 26 December 1911 and was assigned to the Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, New York, for duty.

During his second enlistment, he served with the U.S. Army at Vera Cruz, Mexico, from 30 April to 23 November 1914. His enlistment ended on 25 December 1915 at Marine Barracks, New York, New York, but he again reenlisted and transferred to Marine Barracks, Naval Station, New Orleans, Louisiana.

The following year, he was ashore in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where he participated in skirmishes with native bandits in Las Canitas, Azua Province, Dominican Republic. Appointed to the rank of corporal 23 March 1917, he then returned to the United States where he joined the 12th Company at Quantico, Virginia.

By 31 December 1917, he was again overseas, this time at St. Nazaire, France. The following 23 January 1918, he joined the 66th Company, 5th Regiment, and on 1 June 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 18 July 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.

1– 4 October 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 4 October 1918, and is buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne, France.

1 Medal of Honor citations
- 1.1 Navy citation
- 1.2 Army citation
2 See also
3 References

[edit] Medal of Honor citations

[edit] Navy citation

For extraordinary heroism while serving with the Sixty-sixth Company, Fifth Regiment, Second Division, in action in the Viller-Cottertes section, south of Soissons, France, 18 July 1918. When a hidden machine gun 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, 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 attacking another machine gun nest, which was also put out of action.

[edit] Army 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.