“Finding the Fallen: History Flight’s Recovery of Marine Sergeant James Joseph Hubert”

St. Louis County Historical Society's Veterans Memorial Hall is sponsoring History in a Pint at Carmody Irish Pub & Brewing at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17. Jay Hagen, Veterans Memorial Hall program assistant, will present “Finding the Fallen: History Flight’s Recovery of Marine Sergeant James Joseph Hubert.”  His talk is free and open to the public.

On November 21, 1943, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant James Joseph Hubert was killed in the Battle of Tarawa. He, like over 1,100 of his fallen comrades, were hastily buried by fellow Marines to avoid a health crisis on the tiny island. The Marine Corps moved on to the next island while the dead awaited repatriation once the war was over. As his family back home in Duluth anxiously awaited James’ holiday season return, they were instead visited by representatives from the Marine Corps who delivered the horrible news of his death. After the war, more than 500 of the Marines were never located and ultimately were designated as non-recoverable. More than 70 years had passed before a nonprofit group, History Flight, took up the challenge. Years of research and determination led to the discovery of Cemetery 27, aka "The Lost Cemetery." The story of James’ life, his sacrifice, his recovery and eventual return to Duluth nearly 75 years later will be the focus of this evening’s event. Guests are advised to park in the ramp behind and connected to the Sheraton Hotel Duluth, across the street from Carmody’s. For more information, contact Jay Hagen, 218-733-7500.

Veterans Memorial Hall was established in 1910 and is a joint program of the St. Louis County Historical Society and the military service veterans of northeastern Minnesota with a mission to gather, preserve, interpret, and promote the rich and diverse human experiences of veterans, their families and communities, through museum, archival and educational programs. Its website, www.vets-hall.org, features more than 6,000 veteran stories.