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We are extremely proud of
Rick Stone's continued work
for the U.S. Military...
The Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation
Announces It Has Located the Remains of a
Missing Medal of Honor Recipient from WWII
*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***
November 5, 2024
Marine Corporal Louis James Hauge Jr. was a 20-year-old from Ada, Minnesota when he found himself on a ridge overlooking Wana, Okinawa as a member of C Company, 1 st Battalion, 1 st Marines on 14 May 1945. His posthumous Medal of Honor citation describes his actions on that day:
Alert and aggressive during a determined assault against a strongly fortified Japanese hill position, Cpl. Hauge boldly took the initiative when his company's left flank was pinned down under a heavy machine-gun and mortar barrage with resultant severe casualties and, quickly locating the two machine guns which were delivering the uninterrupted stream of enfilade fire, ordered his squad to maintain a covering barrage as he rushed across an exposed area toward the furiously blazing enemy weapons. Although painfully wounded as he charged the first machine gun, he launched a vigorous singlehanded grenade attack, destroyed the entire hostile gun position, and moved relentlessly forward toward the other emplacement despite his wounds and the increasingly heavy Japanese fire. Undaunted by the savage opposition, he again hurled his deadly grenades with unerring aim and succeeded in demolishing the second enemy gun before he fell under the slashing fury of Japanese sniper fire. By his ready grasp of the critical situation and his heroic one-man assault tactics, Cpl. Hauge had eliminated two strategically placed enemy weapons, thereby releasing the besieged troops from an overwhelming volume of hostile fire and enabling his company to advance. His indomitable fighting spirit and decisive valor in the face of almost certain death reflect the highest credit upon Cpl. Hauge and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.”
After the battle, CPL Hauge's body could not be identified and he was declared “Missing in Action.” The Battle of Okinawa produced almost 50,000 American casualties. There were only 24 Medal of Honor recipients from the battle. Corporal Louis James Hauge Jr. remains the only Medal of Honor recipient missing from the Battle of Okinawa.
In September and October 2023, family members of CPL Hauge contacted the Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation requesting an investigation of his case using the Random Incident Statistical Correlation (RISC) System, which retired Police Chief Rick Stone had created as a member of the Dallas Police Department.
During the Foundation's investigation, investigators used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents and also purchased copies of historical files from the National Archives which indicated that the body of CPL Hauge had been recovered long after his death and buried as an “Unknown” in an American military cemetery. The investigation identified the “Unknown” believed to be CPL Hauge “beyond a reasonable doubt” and located the specific Plot, Row, and Grave number of CPL Hauge's interment as an “Unknown” in 1950.
The Foundation has repeatedly offered to work with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) in the recovery and identification of CPL Hauge. To date, DPAA has not indicated an agreement to work with the Foundation on bringing CPL Hauge home.
Chief Stone stated: “It is inconceivable to me that an American governmental agency would not do everything possible to bring home one of this country's most heroic of all missing American servicemen…a recipient of the Medal of Honor who was left behind on the field of battle and later buried as an “Unknown.” CPL Hauge has been waiting over eighty years for his name to be restored and returned home to his family.”
The Chief Rick Stone and Family Charitable Foundation is a non-profit, 501 c 3, private foundation located in Glen Rose, Texas. For more information on this case or the Foundation's activities, visit the website at www.ChiefRickStone.com
A special thanks goes out to all who worked on this case, acquired research documents for the investigation, or provided financial support for our Foundation 's activities.
Corporal Louis James Hauge, Jr.
If you are interested in assisting the Foundation's mission
to help bring home our missing American heroes,
please go to our web site's
“Make A Difference” link at: www.chiefrickstone.com/?page_id=123644
Congratulations, Rick, for your ongoing good work on behalf of Military families!
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