Henry Lewis Hulbert (12 January 1867 – 4 October 1918) was a

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

who served during the

Second Samoan Civil War The Second Samoan Civil War. Samoan Taua Lona Lua a Samoa was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should have control over the Samoan island chain, loc ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As a private, he received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for distinguished service in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

on 1 April 1899. Hulbert was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. His grave can be found in Section 3 Lot 4309.

Early years

Henry Lewis Hulbert was born in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to the south-west ...

, England on 12 January 1867. He was the first born into a prosperous family. He attended

Felsted School Felsted School is a co-educational independent school, independent boarding school, boarding and Day school, day school, situated in Felsted in Essex, England. It is in the British Public school (UK), public school tradition, and was founded i ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, and entered the British Colonial Civil Service, with his first appointment in

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

. While in Malaya, he married Anne Rose Hewitt. A subsequent personal scandal and divorce resulted in Hulbert leaving Malaysia and arriving in the United States. Later in life he resided in Riverdale Park, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. A small park on Cleveland Ave. there contains a cannon with a plaque dedicated to him.

Second Samoan Civil War

At age 31, he enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

on 28 March 1898. He completed his boot camp training at

Mare Island Mare Island (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Isla de la Yegua'') is a peninsula in the United States in the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait junc ...

, California. His first military action was the British and American expedition of intervention in Samoa. He was part of a 200-man force of Americans, Britons and Samoans which was defeated at the

Second Battle of Vailele The Second Battle of Vailele was fought during the Second Samoan Civil War in 1899. United Kingdom, British, United States, American and Samoan forces loyal to Prince Tanu were defeated by a superior force of Samoan rebels loyal to Mata'afa Iose ...

in 1899 during the

. After the battle the soldierly qualities of Hulbert are best illustrated by the following quotation from a Letter of Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy dated 22 May 1899:

The gallantry of Private Henry L. Hulbert, who remained behind at the fence till the last and who was with Lansdale and Monaghan when they were killed, I desire especially to mention.

For this gallantry he was awarded the

World War I

By early 1917, Hulbert had reached the highest enlisted rank of sergeant major and was on the staff of Major General

George Barnett George Barnett (December 9, 1859April 27, 1930) was the 12th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He was a pioneer of amphibious warfare and the U.S. Marine Commandant during American involv ...

Commandant of the Marine Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

. Hulbert was second in the list of 20 "noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps who successfully passed the recent examinations nd wereappointed to warrant rank and will take rank in the order named from 24 March 1917". The warrant rank was referred to as a

Marine Gunner The United States Marine Corps MOS 0306, infantry weapons officers, commonly referred to as "the Gunner" or "Marine gunner" are non-technical chief warrant officers (CWO-2 to CWO-5) that are weapons specialists and are knowledgeable in the tac ...

. Hulbert was assigned to the Fifth Regiment on 27 March 1917. He was some five months over the 50 years prescribed in the Annual Report by the Secretary of the Navy (1917):

Also, the provision that in making the temporary appointments as ensigns the maximum age limit shall be 50 years for commissioned warrant officers and warrant officers has prevented such appointments in the cases of a number of very deserving officers of those classes, and it is hoped that this restriction will be removed.''Hearings Before Committee of Naval Affairs of the House of Representatives on Estimates Submitted By the Secretary of the Navy: 1918, Sixty-Fifth Congress''. "Statement of Maj. Gen. George Barnett, Commandant Marine Corps". p. 238. Government Printing Office: Washington

The United States entered World War I in April 1917. Upon the formation of the Fifth Regiment for service in France, Hulbert immediately volunteered for foreign service and the character of his service with the American Expeditionary Forces is best indicated by the following extracts from the endorsements of his commanding officers recommending him for promotion to commissioned rank: * Commanding officer, Sixty-sixth Company: "I can not too strongly support Gunner Hulbert's request ... If the young lieutenants recently appointed had half of Mr. Hulbert's energy, professional knowledge, physical ability, or manner of handling men under him, the arduous duties which now devolve upon the average company commander would be materially simplified." * Battalion commander, First Battalion, Fifth Regiment: "Gunner Hulbert has proven conclusively, while attached to this battalion, that he is physically and professionally qualified to perform the duties of a commissioned officer. Nervously active, ambitious, zealous, always ready to help with valuable advice and original ideas, he is undoubtedly one of the most efficient officers in the service to-day." * Adjutant, First Battalion, Fifth Regiment: "As a young officer new to the service, I wish to state that Mr. Hulbert has helped me a great deal ... I served in the same company with Mr. Hulbert and will not hesitate to say that he can hold his own with the younger officers from a physical standpoint ... If the Fifth Regiment ever goes over the top I want to go over with Mr. Hulbert." * Regimental commander: "Marine Gunner Hulbert, United States Marine Corps, has given excellent service since I assumed command of this regiment. His energy, ability, and length of service merits his promotion to the rank of second lieutenant."

Battle of Belleau Wood

Hulbert was recognized for multiple acts of bravery during the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne (river), Marne River in France. The battle was fought by the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division (United State ...

. For one such action, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

. He was recommended by General

John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was an American army general, educator, and founder of the Pershing Rifles. He served as the commander of the American Expeditionary For ...

for immediate commission as a captain.

Soissons and Blanc Mont Ridge

He distinguished himself at Soisson, was commissioned second lieutenant, and received an immediate promotion to first lieutenant. He was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

at Blanc Mont Ridge in France on 4 October 1918. At the time of his death, his promotion to captain had been approved by the Secretary of the Navy. He was posthumously awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

and the French

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

with palm.''Awarding of Medals in the Naval Service. Hearing Before A Subcommittee on Naval Affairs United States Senate''. Sixty-sixth Congress, Second Session on S. Res. 285. Government Printing Office: Washington, 1920. "Headquarters United States Marine Corps, Washington, 20 January 1920. pp. 265–266. Marine Officers serving with American Expeditionary Forces awarded the Navy Cross". p. 441.

Awards and honors

Hulbert received the following medals for his distinguished military service: Hulbert was also eligible for the

Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal The Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Marine Corps. It was established on 8 May 1919 as the ''Marine Corps Expeditionary Ribbon''. A full-sized medal was authorized on 1 March 1921. The Marine Corps Exped ...

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish ...

, and the World War I Victory Medal. The U.S. Navy destroyer , named in Hulbert's honor, was christened on 28 June 1919, and commissioned and put into service in 1920. The destroyer was moored in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

on 7 December 1941 and brought down a Japanese torpedo bomber. The ''Hulbert'' was decommissioned in 1945.

Notes

References

: : * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hulbert, Henry L. 1867 births 1918 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I American military personnel killed in World War I American military personnel of the Philippine–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery English-born Medal of Honor recipients English emigrants to the United States Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull People educated at Felsted School American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients United States Marine Corps officers Samoan Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor