MEDIA ALERT: Family Donates Personal Items to MNHS from WWII Soldier Sgt. James Hubert

The family of Marine Sgt. James Joseph Hubert will visit with curators Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Minnesota History Center to view personal items recently donated to MNHS. The items include Sgt. Hubert’s jackknife and lighter, among other artifacts.

A native of Duluth, Sgt. Hubert was killed on Nov. 21, 1943, in the battle of Tarawa, a small atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. The battle was the first major U.S. offensive in World War II and a turning point in the fight to secure the Pacific islands from the Japanese.

Sgt. Hubert was buried on the island in an unmarked grave. His remains were found in 2015 when a contractor came upon a trench that contained the remains of 40 U.S. Marines who had died in battle. Following DNA testing, arrangements were made for Sgt. Hubert’s remains to return to Minnesota. Personal items were donated to MNHS last month. Sgt. Hubert’s remains are scheduled to arrive in Minnesota Friday.

Sgt. Hubert will lie in repose at Fort Snelling National Cemetery to allow Twin Cities veterans groups to pay respects. He will then be buried at Duluth’s Calvary Cemetery in the soldier’s rest section, near his parents.

Media are invited to visit with the family and view the artifacts on Thursday July, 13, at 3 p.m., at the Minnesota History Center.