Hershel W. Williams

thumb|As important as our stories are, we veterans are among the lucky ones. We returned home to our loved ones, and our sacrifices don't stack up to the ones made by those who didn't. We as a people must never forget those who didn't get to come home or their loved ones who have a vacant chair at the table. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Hershel Woodrow "Woody" Williams (October 2, 1923 – June 29, 2022) was a United States Marine Corps Reserve warrant officer and United States Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative who received the Medal of Honor, the United States military's highest decoration for valor, for heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Williams was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Quotes thumb|I didn't earn it. I wear it for those Marines who lost their lives protecting mine. As important as our stories are, we veterans are among the lucky ones. We returned home to our loved ones, and our sacrifices don't stack up to the ones made by those who didn't. We as a people must never forget those who didn't get to come home or their loved ones who have a vacant chair at the table. Foreword to The Rifle (2021) by Andy Biggio, New York: Regnery, 2022 paperback edition, p. xiii-xiv American Heroes (2024) New York: Little, Brown & Company. Written by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann, with Tim Malloy & Chris Mooney. The interview with Williams' grandson, Brent Casey, is transcribed on pages 1-13, and Williams is quoted directly several times. I'll try. p. 5 Everyone has some instinct of bravery. As long as you can control the fear, you can be brave. p. 6 I didn't earn it. I wear it for those Marines who lost their lives protecting mine. p. 13 Quotes about Hershel W. Williams For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as demolition sergeant serving with the 21st Marines, 3d Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 23 February 1945. Quick to volunteer his services when our tanks were maneuvering vainly to open a lane for the infantry through the network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, buried mines, and black volcanic sands, Cpl. Williams daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machine-gun fire from the unyielding positions. Covered only by four riflemen, he fought desperately for four hours under terrific enemy small-arms fire and repeatedly returned to his own lines to prepare demolition charges and obtain serviced flamethrowers, struggling back, frequently to the rear of hostile emplacements, to wipe out one position after another. On one occasion, he daringly mounted a pillbox to insert the nozzle of his flamethrower through the air vent, killing the occupants, and silencing the gun; on another he grimly charged enemy riflemen who attempted to stop him with bayonets and destroyed them with a burst of flame from his weapon. His unyielding determination and extraordinary heroism in the face of ruthless enemy resistance were directly instrumental in neutralizing one of the most fanatically defended Japanese strongpoints encountered by his regiment and aided vitally in enabling his company to reach its objective. Cpl. Williams' aggressive fighting spirit and valiant devotion to duty throughout this fiercely contested action sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. Citation for the Medal of Honor awarded to Williams, presented by President Harry S. Truman on 5 October 1945, at the White House, Washington, D.C. Woody doesn't think he's done anything special. He was just doing his job. Brent Casey, Williams' grandson, as quoted by James Patterson & Matt Eversmann, American Heroes (2024), New York: Little, Brown & Company, first edition hardcover, p. 7 Of the rapidly dwindling number of World War II Medal of Honor recipients, Herschel "Woody" Williams made it to the Annapolis convention in September 2018. The youngest of eleven children and raised on a dairy farm in West Virginia, Williams was rejected on his first attempt to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1942 because he was too short. Armed with a flamethrower, he would later single-handedly clear a network of reinforced Japanese pillboxes and machine-gun emplacements during the battle for Iwo Jima. He stood tall in receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman. James Kitfield, In the Company of Heroes: The Inspiring Stories of Medal of Honor Recipients From America's Longest Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (2021), first edition hardcover, p. xii External links Category:Military leaders from the United States Category:United States Marines Category:Medal of Honor recipients Category:1924 births Category:2022 deaths Category:People from West Virginia Category:Christians from the United States