Sierra Madre Post Office Dedicated in Honor of World War I Hero

SIERRA MADRE, CA -- The U.S. Post Office in Sierra Madre was dedicated Tuesday in honor of Louis Van Iersel, a Medal of Honor recipient in World War I who also served in the Marine Corps in World War II.

Born Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel on Oct. 19, 1893, in Dussen, Netherlands, Van Iersel enlisted in the U.S. Army the day after he immigrated to the United States in 1917.

Van Iersel was initially assigned kitchen duty because his inability to understand English meant he couldn't be drilled. He learned English in four months and was assigned to the battlefield.

As a member of Company M of the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division,Van Iersel was part of a reconnaissance patrol in Mouzon, France in 1918, sent out at night to ascertain the condition of a damaged bridge.

According to his Medal of Honor citation, Van Iersel volunteered to lead a party across the bridge in the face of heavy machine gun 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 way and sent him into the Seine river.

In spite of the swift current, Van Iersel swam across the stream and found a lodging place among the timbers on the opposite bank.

Van Iersel disregarded the enemy fire, 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 information to the battalion commander.

In 1919, Van Iersel became a naturalized citizen, was discharged from the Army and changed his name to Louis Van Iersel. He then returned to the Netherlands, married Hendrika de Ronde in 1920, then returned to the U.S., settling in California in 1921.

Van Iersel joined the Marine Corps in 1943 -- he was rejected by the Army because of his age -- with his three sons. Van Iersel served with the 3rd Marine Division in the Bougainville Campaign.

Van Iersel and his wife settled in Sierra Madre in 1946 and worked for the Los Angeles City Engineering Department. He died in 1987 at the age of 93 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park introduced the bill to name the post office in Van Iersel's honor.

"His desire to come to the U.S. for a better life, his willingness to serve despite not knowing English, his selfless bravery in battle, his commitment to re-enlisting and his love of family speak to the best of us and so I wanted to find a way to share his story here in Sierra Madre where he lived," Chu said. "... His story will serve as an example of the American Dream for years to come."

-- City News Service, photo courtesy of Rep. Judy Chu's office.