He is Dutch-American Sgt. Louis M. van Iersel. Check out the medal on the upper left row. That is the MOH.:bow: Think this kid had some serious cajones?:thup:
Is this the most decorated soldier of WWI?:dunno:
Jim
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He is Dutch-American Sgt. Louis M. van Iersel. Check out the medal on the upper left row. That is the MOH.:bow: Think this kid had some serious cajones?:thup:
Is this the most decorated soldier of WWI?:dunno:
Jim
Ludovicus M. M. Van Iersel Army E-05Sergeant Mouzon, France 01918-11-09 November 9, 1918 While a member of the reconnaissance patrol, sent out at night to ascertain the condition of a damaged bridge, 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 (69 m). 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.
From Wikipedia list of Medal of Honor winners from WWI:move eek:
According to Wikipedia,Eddie Rickenbacker was most decorated soldier of WW1.Is this so?I don't always trust info from that sight.
This man (27+ years old in the picture which was taken in 1920 or later) has the most incredible group of medals I have ever seen, Add the Purple Heart to the list, as one picture shows the fingers on his left hand missing and he is wearing a Wound Chevron. He wouldn't have gotten his PH until 1933. 15+ medals for heroism in one war is absolutely stunning.
What is even more amazing is that there is zip written about this man. They have written books about men who have done less, York for instance. York was in combat for a total of about 48 hours, and this man fought through the entire war with the 2nd Division (either 1st or 2nd in days in combat). He was on the right flank of the Marines during Belleau Woods and in the thick of things at Blanc Mont.
He is buried in Arlington Cemetery, and rightfully so. Tom, he is also one of your NJ boys.
A Marine salutes one brave ARMY MAN!
Semper Fi,
Jim
PS
During WWI, medals were primarily issued to officers, and enlisted men were initially not even eligible for some medals. Old Eddie had a distinct advantage, but I'll put this man up against him on any day. If I remember correctly, Col. Caitlin was given a DSC for getting hit by a stray bullet (his words) 15 minutes into the battle at Belleau Woods while standing on a hill 1/2 mile from the battle itself. What the heck was heroic about that?
As is common throughout history,the little guy doing the extra-ordinary is most often relegated to the dustbin of miscellaneous information.Maybe with the 100th anniversary of WW1 some of these gallant men will be remembered.Some are awarded medals,some earn them,this fellow sure earned his in spades.
Here's a link to 2 lists of the most decorated US Service members with and without the Medal of Honor.
Top50MostDecorated
Interesting reading - and a work in progress because of reasons already stated.
Bob
The source of accurate info on military awards:
Home Of Heroes Home Page
Bob,
isn't it interesting that in those lists there are so few enlisted personnel? With the medal there are only 3 of 50 and with/without there are only 2 of 50. Seems kinda unfair somehow.
Art
Those lists need updating, as this guy beats out numerous entries in the top 50 of either list.:beerchug:Quote:
Originally Posted by beachbumbob
Jim
I'm with you Jim. Something aint right about that list..looks like an officer's only list.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Tarleton
They must be counting decorations for things other than bravery in combat. I know they dreamed up the DSM (versus DSC) for those who weren't in combat. Some actions are infamous for medal give-aways, like the invasion of Vera Cruz. Smedley Butler tried to give his MOH back, but they wouldn't allow it. If I remember correctly, there were 58 MOH's awarded to the invaders of Vera Cruz, which wasn't heavily defended. Still, combat is combat and bravery is bravery is bravery. Unfortunately, many of those that received those MOH's did precious little to earn them, and those more deserving got nothing. Such is life.
I read somewhere that the "board" wouldn't give Sgt. Daly a MOH for his courageous actions in WWI simply because they didn't want him to have three. What kind of goofy logic is that?
I also read that one WWI MOH was awarded in 1939. What hapened there, they suddenly realized the man was courageous twenty years later? Then you have men like John Kerry, whose awards, at least some of them, don't quite pass the smell test. Ditto for Oliver North in my humble opinion.
Jim
Hey Jim,
Remember reading about the MOH in the civil war. Think that was when it was created. Many of the men who earned it in that war really didn't do a whole lot out of the ordinary and received the medal. Think some were even revoked. They made the award rules a lot stricter after that.
Some scouts earned the medal during the Indian Wars after 1865. The stuff those guys did will make you're skin crawl. Well deserved.
Thanks for the post,
Robert/LB
I was glad to see Lloyd "Scooter" Burke on the list. That guy had some serious guts.
As to inequity in the awards, Theodore Roosevelt's commendation for a Medal of Honor was squelched by William McKinley for mostly political reasons, partly because he just didn't care that much for old T.R. He was eventually awarded the medal long after he was dead by Bill Clinton.
At the time of the Vera Cruz invasion the Medal of Honor could also be awarded for heroism in non combat situations and frequently was. A lot of sailors got the medal for heroic activities in non combat situations.
Vera Cruz wasn't the only place where a kaboodle of Medal's of Honor were awarded. A lot of folks feel way too many were awarded in the "Punitive Expidetion against Panch Villa. I remember the story of one Medal of Honor recipient standing inspection in the 1920's. The inspecting officer asked where he had gotten his MoH. The man replied he had recieved it in World War 1. The officer said "well at least you didn't get it in the Punitive Expedition.
There have been injustices in the awarding of decorations from the beginning and some have been committed because of past injustices. There is a strong belief that Dick Winters got a DSC instead of an MoH because the quota allocated for the D-Day operation had been awarded already and the service was nervous about issuing too many of the medals.
Art,
I actually found the link while doing some research on the POW net the night before this thread posted. Looked at it and said cool. Didn't notice the Officer Only aspect of it. Still, it's kind of neat in it's own way. Certainly wouldn't leave out the enlisted swine of which I was one for 23 years.
Bob
I believe Rickenbacker's MOH wasn't awarded until the '30s. He also flew many missions alone and returned with yet another 'kill'. Also, late in the war, as commander of the 94th he had the dubious distinction of approving his own victories.
SteveD