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World War I
Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel
Sergeant · U.S. Army
U.S. Army, Company M, 9th Infantry, 2d Division
9 November 1918 · Mouzon, France
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Era
- World War I
- Home state
- New Jersey
- Action
- Mouzon, France
The citation
Official citation
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.