Cleo A. Noel Jr.
World War II Navy officer and career Arabist; ambassador to Sudan, taken hostage and killed by Black September militants in Khartoum in March 1973.
Service Record
| Born | August 6, 1918, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|---|---|
| Education | Moberly Junior College; B.A., History, University of Missouri, 1939; M.A., History, University of Missouri, 1940; doctoral study, Harvard |
| Military | U.S. Navy, June 1941 – 1945; gunnery officer aboard merchant vessels, Pacific and Persian Gulf; lieutenant commander |
| Posts | Italy, Saudi Arabia, France, Lebanon, Sudan |
| U.S. Ambassador to Sudan | December 1972 – March 2, 1973 |
| Died | March 2, 1973, Khartoum, Sudan |
| Interment | Arlington National Cemetery |
Overview
Cleo Noel served his country first as a naval officer in the Second World War and then for a quarter century as a diplomat in the Arab world. He had been ambassador to Sudan for barely ten weeks when he was killed.
Early Life and Education
He was born in Oklahoma City and spent his formative years in Moberly, Missouri. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Missouri, taught American history there, and later began doctoral studies at Harvard.
Military Service
He joined the U.S. Navy in June 1941 and served through the war as a gunnery officer providing security aboard merchant vessels in the Pacific and the Persian Gulf, leaving the service in 1945 as a lieutenant commander.
Foreign Service
While studying at Harvard he passed the Foreign Service examination. Through the 1950s and 1960s he served at U.S. posts in Italy, Saudi Arabia, France, Lebanon, and Sudan. In 1951 he married Lucille McHenry, herself a member of the Foreign Service. He was appointed ambassador to Sudan in December 1972.
Sacrifice
On the evening of March 1, 1973, militants of the Black September organization stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in Khartoum during a farewell reception. Ambassador Noel was wounded and taken hostage along with other diplomats, among them his deputy, George Curtis Moore, and Belgian chargé d'affaires Guy Eid. The three were shot and killed the following day.
Legacy
A joint funeral for Noel and Moore was held at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington on March 7, 1973. Ambassador Noel was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Recognition
Envoys of Record honors Cleo A. Noel Jr. among the members of the Foreign Service who gave their lives in the service of the United States. Their names are kept here so that their service is not forgotten.