Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams, the last Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, who became a legend in his native West Virginia for his heroics on Iwo Jima over several crucial hours, died Wednesday. He was 98 years old.
He passed away at a VA medical center in Huntington one bearing his name, according to updates from his foundation.
Williams eliminated several Japanese machine gun positions ahead of his unit in February 1945 as a young Marine corporal.
After the war, Williams served in the Marine Corps for 20 years, then for 33 years worked as a veteran services representative with the Veterans Administration.
A mobile base sea vessel in his honor will be commissioned by the Navy in 2023. In 2018, the hospital in Huntington Beach, California, was renamed in his honor. A coin toss before the Super Bowl in Minneapolis was Williams’ chance to be honored along with 14 other Medal of Honor recipients.
In the northern West Virginia community of Quiet Dell, Williams grew up as the youngest in a family of 11 on a dairy farm. Williams also was a delivery driver. He sometimes delivered Western Union telegrams to the families of fallen soldiers before joining the armed forces. He also served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and as a teen in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
As his website states, Williams expressed his passion for Gold Star Families at the time. This led to his foundation raising money for and erecting over 100 Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments across the country in recognition of family members of fallen servicemen.
Williams did not want to follow in their footsteps, even though his brothers were serving in the military. When returning home, he admired the blue uniforms of the Marines from his area. When Williams applied to join in 1942, he was rejected due to his height. In 1947, he was admitted to the Marines as a 19-year-old.
The often-anxious times during the war were made a touch easier by Ruby, Williams’ wife. Williams vowed to get back to the girl he was preparing to marry in Fairmont. A dream he had while serving.
They were married for 62 years. She died at the age of 87. The two had seven children total.
Service will be held at the Cultural Center in Charleston on Sunday. Visitors will be able to tour the nearby Capitol rotunda prior to the service on Sunday.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. One report concluded.
Citations.
O’Neill, N. (2022, June 29). Woody Williams, last Living World War II medal of honor recipient, dead at 98. New York Post. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://nypost.com/2022/06/29/woody-williams-last-wwii-medal-of-honor-recipient-dead-at-98/
Goldenhueswebdesign.com. (n.d.). Woody Williams Foundation. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://woodywilliams.org/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, June 29). Hershel W. Williams. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hershel_W._Williams
Jonathon M. Poe 