Henry L. Hulbert

Henry Lewis Hulbert (12 January 1867 – 4 October 1918) was a United States Marine who served during the Second Samoan Civil War and World War I. As a private, he received the Medal of Honor for distinguished service in Samoa on 1 April 1899.

Hulbert was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. His grave can be found in Section 3 Lot 4309.

Early years

Henry Lewis Hulbert was born in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire, England on 12 January 1867. He was the first born into a prosperous family. He attended Felsted School in Essex, and entered the British Colonial Civil Service, with his first appointment in Malaya. 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 on 28 March 1898. He completed his boot camp training at Mare Island, 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 in 1899 during the Second Samoan Civil War. 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 Medal of Honor.

World War I Photo of newly appointed Marine Gunner Henry L. Hulbert, USMC, Sixty-sixth Company, 1st Battalion, Fifth Regiment By early 1917, Hulbert had reached the highest enlisted rank of sergeant major and was on the staff of Major General George Barnett, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Hulbert was second in the list of 20 "noncommissioned officers of the Marine Corps who successfully passed the recent examinations [and were] appointed 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. 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.

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:

Awards and honors Hulbert received the following medals for his distinguished military service: Medal of HonorNavy CrossDistinguished Service CrossPurple HeartCroix de guerre (France)

Hulbert was also eligible for the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, Spanish Campaign Medal, 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 on 7 December 1941 and brought down a Japanese torpedo bomber. The Hulbert was decommissioned in 1945.