[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6870-6871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      LOUIS VAN IERSEL POST OFFICE

  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4761) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 61 South Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre, California, 
as the ``Louis Van Iersel Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4761

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. LOUIS VAN IERSEL POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 61 South Baldwin Avenue in Sierra Madre, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Louis Van 
     Iersel Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Louis Van Iersel Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Walker) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. 
Lawrence) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4761, introduced by 
Congresswoman Judy Chu of California.
  Louis Van Iersel's story is an unbelievable one. Louis came to the 
United States from the Netherlands, and he served his new home with 
fervor. On his first day in the United States, he enlisted in the Army 
and soon after was deployed to Europe as part of World War I. He was 
awarded the Medal of Honor for saving hundreds of Americans' lives 
during the war.
  At the start of World War II, Louis tried to enlist in the Army 
alongside his sons, but he was turned away because of his age.
  So what did he do?
  He enlisted with the Marines instead. Through his life, Van Iersel 
truly wanted to serve the United States, the country he adopted as his 
home.
  I urge Members to support the bill to name a post office in Van 
Iersel's honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu).
  Ms. JUDY CHU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life of Sergeant Louis Van Iersel, a decorated veteran of both World 
Wars, by offering a bill to designate the U.S. Post Office in the city 
of Sierra Madre, California, the Louis Van Iersel Post Office.
  Sergeant Van Iersel was the true embodiment of an American hero. An 
immigrant from the Netherlands, his acts of heroism began even before 
he sat foot on American soil. On his voyage to the United States in 
1917, he assisted in the rescue of 27 shipwrecked British soldiers 
torpedoed by a German vessel.
  On the very day he arrived in the United States, Mr. Van Iersel 
registered for the draft and enlisted in the Army. He didn't speak a 
word of English, but he learned while working in the Army kitchen. He 
was eventually assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division and was deployed 
to France at the end of World War I.
  It was in France that Mr. Van Iersel showed extraordinary heroism 
time and time again. He first gained notice when he and a comrade 
braved German gunfire to carry 17 soldiers to safety. He was then 
promoted to sergeant, when he led a small reconnaissance patrol and 
found enemy trenches. It was there that he was able to use his native 
language of German to infiltrate them and convince the officer in 
charge to surrender 60 German soldiers.
  From there, Mr. Van Iersel increased his efforts to gain information 
on German troop movements. In one particularly treacherous situation, 
Mr. Van Iersel braved heavy fire to swim across the icy Seine River. He 
overheard German soldiers discussing a heavy artillery barrage that 
would have wiped out the whole American battalion.
  With this critical information, he swam back across the river and 
reported his findings, enabling the American troops to take cover 
before the attack began. Because of his actions, he saved 1,000 
American lives. For all his efforts, he was awarded dozen of medals, 
including two military medals, the French Croix de Guerre and the 
American Medal of Honor. These are the highest honors that both 
countries can bestow.
  At the end of the World War I, Mr. Van Iersel moved to the city of 
Sierra Madre, California, in my district. He became a citizen, got 
married, and started a family. But then World War II broke out, and Mr. 
Van Iersel knew he could not sit idly by. He and his three sons all 
reported to the Army to enlist and to serve their country. But Mr. Van 
Iersel was turned away, because the Army told him he was too old to 
serve.

[[Page 6871]]

  While he would not let this stop him, undeterred, Mr. Van Iersel 
talked his way into the Marine Corps. He served with the 3rd Marine 
Division in the Pacific, and safely returned home in 1945.
  Mr. Van Iersel passed away at the age of 93. But as a longtime 
resident of Sierra Madre, Mr. Van Iersel exemplified the American 
Dream, raising his family after he left military service, volunteering 
with his local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, and remaining an 
active member of the community.
  I encourage you to honor his extraordinary legacy and vote ``yes'' on 
H.R. 4761.
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to recognize 
Louis Van Iersel's unparalleled dedication to our country.
  I urge passage of H.R. 4761.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4761.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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