Hershel Woodrow âWoodyâ Williams (October 2, 1923 â June 28, 2022) was a United States Marine Corps warrant officer and United States Department of Veterans Affairs veterans service representative who received the United States military’s highest decoration for valorâthe Medal of Honorâfor heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. At the time of his death, Williams was the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II.
Williams’ final campaign was at the Battle of Iwo Jima, where he distinguished himself with actions “above and beyond the call of duty”, for which he would be awarded the Medal of Honor. On February 21, 1945, he landed on the beach with the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines. Williams, by then a corporal, distinguished himself two days later when American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes. Pinned down by machine gun fire, his company commander asked one of his men to attach a high explosive charge to a pole and, supported by Williams, his flamethrower and several Marine riflemen, shove the improvised weapon into an opening in the enemy’s pillbox. As they fought their way to the pillbox, all of the men, except Williams, became casualties. Undeterred, Williams arrived at the first pillbox, shoved the flamethrower nozzle into the pillbox opening and fired the weapon, killing all of the soldiers inside. He then returned five times to his company area, refueled his weapon, and moved forward to destroy the remaining pillboxes.
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