Born in Holland in 1893, Ludovicus Van Iersal was a merchant sailor when he arrived in the United States in 1917. Shortly after his arrival, he registered for the American draft and submitted a declaration of intent to become a US citizen. Eager to serve, Van Iersal voluntarily joined the US Army before being drafted.
Fluent in Dutch, French, and German, Van Iersal quickly gained a solid grasp of English in just four months. As a member of Company M, 9th Infantry, 2nd Division, Van Iersal was often sent on patrols and scouting missions, where his language skills proved invaluable. He earned the Medal of Honor for his actions near Mouzon, France, on November 9, 1918, in which he is credited with saving the lives of nearly 1,000 men.
That night, Van Iersal went out with a reconnaissance patrol to determine the condition of a bridge. He volunteered to lead a group across the bridge despite heavy machine gun fire from a close range. Crawling ahead, alone, Van Iersal triggered a trap, which threw him into the water. Thrown into a swift current, Van Iersal managed to swim to the bank of the river, where he investigated the enemy position that was defending the bridge. He then crossed the swift river to return to his unit and report the intelligence he had gathered. While working his way out of the river, German troops opened fire on him.
Undeterred and knowing the information he had gathered would be lost if he were, Van Iersal continued to safety. In recalling the story, Van Iersal said he “…repeated everything to the major, then flopped unconscious.” Responding to Van Iersal’s intelligence, the major ordered his battalion back a distance. As the last men left their original line, the Germans began what would have been a deadly barrage had Van Iersal not gotten word to his major.
A 1929 account of Van Iersal’s life states that after receiving the Medal of Honor in Coblenz, Germany, he asked for two weeks leave. So close to his native Holland, Van Iersal returned home to Dussen and married Hendrika de Ronde, with whom he had attended grade school. Other accounts state that he returned to the Netherlands in 1920 and married Hendrika then. Regardless of the details, the couple remained married until her death in 1979.
Van Iersal used his military service to become a naturalized US citizen on May 9, 1919. With two fellow soldiers as witnesses, Van Iersal became a naturalized citizen while stationed at Camp Dix in New Jersey. He was discharged from the Army two days later. Van Iersal moved his growing family to California, where he worked for the city of Los Angeles. Despite troubles with a lung from mustard gas during the war, Van Iersal was not done with military service. When the United States entered World War II, Van Iersal tried to reenlist in the Army but was rejected due to his age (he was 48 when the United States entered the war).
With a fortitude that seemed to come naturally to him, Van Iersal did not let the rejection stop him. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and wore his World War I Army uniform, Medal of Honor included, to his induction. As a sergeant with the 3rd Marine Division, Van Iersal served in the Pacific Theater, including in the Bougainville Campaign. Two of his sons served in the Navy, continuing their father’s legacy.
Van Iersal held great pride in his military service and his American citizenship. He was an active member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and can be found in many photographs from their annual reunions. With his wide grin and cheerful eyes, Van Iersal exemplifies the Medal of Honor values of courage, patriotism, and citizenship. He is one of more than 750 Medal of Honor Recipients who, though not born in the United States, chose to serve.
One of the more decorated soldiers from World War I, Van Iersal earned 14 American and French military awards. Van Iersal, who went by Louis after he became a United States citizen, died in 1987, at the age of 93. He and his wife, Hendrika are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Kali Schick is Senior Historian,
National Medal of Honor Museum
