SGT Louis Van Iersel (M Co. 9th IN, 2nd ID) WWI, Mouzon, France 09NOV1918

09NOV1918: Just two days before the end of WWI, SGT Louis Van Iersel was tasked with killing two enemy sentries and conducting reconnaissance of enemy positions around a bridge that his unit was having difficulty crossing. All previous attempts had come under such fire as they neared the water's edge that nobody had even yet laid eyes on the bridge.

SGT Van Iersel grabbed a team of Soldiers and went off into the night for his mission. He made it to the river bank only to see that the bridge was destroyed and sat in a logjam in the river. Still planning to complete his mission, SGT Van Iersel began sneaking across the piles of rubble in the darkness. Right about at the midpoint, a piece of wood gave way, and making a spash, Van Iersel fell into the water. The sound caused German machine guns on the banks to open fire for fear that an enemy attack was starting. With bullets landing all around, Van Iersel decided to go ahead with his task. He maneuvered to the German held side of the river and began looking around to identify defensive positions.

So close to the enemy positions that he could hear them call for an artillery barrage, Van Iersel began his movement back to US lines. Again crossing the destroyed bridge, he was almost across when the Germans fired a flare silhouetting him entirely against the night sky. As the machine guns opened up, Van Iersel sprinted away unharmed back to American lines. He relayed the information about the incoming artillery barrage to his commander and US troops were pulled back just ahead of the deadly strike.

For his actions that night, just days before the end of the war, SGT Louis Van Iersel would be awarded the Medal of Honor. He would return to the United State, be granted citizenship and would reenlist during WWII seeing combat with the Marines during the Bougainville Campaign in the Pacific Theater.