World War I Medal of Honor Recipient. When the U.S.S. President Lincoln was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-90, on 21 May 1918, he was second in command. German submarines were ordered to bring back proof of their "kills," and the sub came up to the surface, demanding the Captain of the ship. The US crew was afraid the Germans wanted to kill him, so they hid him and Lt. Izac told them that he died when the ship was hit. The Germans took Izac prisoner, as proof they had sunk the ship. He kept his knowledge of reading and speaking German from his captors, and during his stay on the U-90 he obtained information of the battle plans and movements of German submarines. This information would make a major difference in how the Atlantic War would be fought. When the submarine returned to Germany, he was turned over to the German Army for transport to a prisoner of war camp. In attempting to escape, he jumped through the window of a rapidly moving train at the imminent risk of death, not only from the nature of the act itself but from the fire of the armed German soldiers who were guarding him. He was recaptured and confined until he reached the POW Camp. He made a second and successful escape attempt, breaking his way through barbed-wire fences and deliberately drawing the fire of the armed guards in the hope of permitting others to escape during the confusion. Two other Allied officers also escaped. He made his way through the mountains of southwestern Germany, having only raw vegetables for food, and at the end, swam the Rhein River to Switzerland during the night in the immediate vicinity of German sentries. He walked into the American Embassy at Bern, Switzerland, to deliver his strategic information on 11 November 1918, the morning the war ended. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1922, the only US Navy person to earn this medal in World War I.
World War I Medal of Honor Recipient. When the U.S.S. President Lincoln was attacked and sunk by the German submarine U-90, on 21 May 1918, he was second in command. German submarines were ordered to bring back proof of their "kills," and the sub came up to the surface, demanding the Captain of the ship. The US crew was afraid the Germans wanted to kill him, so they hid him and Lt. Izac told them that he died when the ship was hit. The Germans took Izac prisoner, as proof they had sunk the ship. He kept his knowledge of reading and speaking German from his captors, and during his stay on the U-90 he obtained information of the battle plans and movements of German submarines. This information would make a major difference in how the Atlantic War would be fought. When the submarine returned to Germany, he was turned over to the German Army for transport to a prisoner of war camp. In attempting to escape, he jumped through the window of a rapidly moving train at the imminent risk of death, not only from the nature of the act itself but from the fire of the armed German soldiers who were guarding him. He was recaptured and confined until he reached the POW Camp. He made a second and successful escape attempt, breaking his way through barbed-wire fences and deliberately drawing the fire of the armed guards in the hope of permitting others to escape during the confusion. Two other Allied officers also escaped. He made his way through the mountains of southwestern Germany, having only raw vegetables for food, and at the end, swam the Rhein River to Switzerland during the night in the immediate vicinity of German sentries. He walked into the American Embassy at Bern, Switzerland, to deliver his strategic information on 11 November 1918, the morning the war ended. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1922, the only US Navy person to earn this medal in World War I.
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
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