Sgt. Ludovicus Van Iersel, Medal of Honor

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel (ASN: 40858), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism on 9 November 1918, while serving with Company M, 9th Infantry, 2d Division, in action at Mouzon, France. While a member of the reconnaissance patrol, sent out at night to ascertain the condition of a damaged bridge, Sergeant Van Iersel volunteered to lead a party across the bridge in the face of heavy machinegun and rifle fire from a range of only 75 yards.

Crawling alone along the debris of the ruined bridge he came upon a trap, which gave away and precipitated him into the water. In spite of the swift current he succeeded in swimming across the stream and found a lodging place among the timbers on the opposite bank. Disregarding the enemy fire, he made a careful investigation of the hostile position by which the bridge was defended and then returned to the other bank of the river, reporting this valuable information to the battalion commander.

General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 34 (March 07, 1919)

Action Date: 9-Nov-18

Service: Army

Rank: Sergeant

Company: Company M

Regiment: 9th Infantry

Division: 2d Division

http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2604/van-iersel-ludovicus-m-m...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovicus_M._M._Van_Iersel

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7834097

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-06-16/news/mn-7471_1_van-iersel