Sergeant, US Army; Company M, 9th Infantry, 2d Division
Born: 19 October 1893, Holland
Died: 9 June 1987
Citation: While a member of the reconnaissance patrol, sent out at night to ascertain the condition of a damaged bridge [at Mouzon, France, on 9 November 1918], Sgt. 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.
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