Skip to main content
USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI 150th Anniversary
Donate
  • Cart
  • Join or Log In
  • Search

Main navigation

  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Books & Press
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Naval History
  • Archives
  • Events
  • Donate
USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI Logo USNI 150th Anniversary
Donate
  • Cart
  • Join or Log In
  • Search

Main navigation (Sticky)

  • About Us
  • Membership
  • Books & Press
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Naval History
  • Archives
  • Events
  • Donate

Sub Menu

  • Essay Contests
    • About Essay Contests
  • Current Issue
  • Subscribe to Naval History
    • Naval History Digital Subscription
    • Renew Your Subscription
  • Naval History Blog
  • Submisison Guidelines
  • Contact Naval History
    • Media Inquiries
  • All Issues
Hershel “Woody” Williams
Hershel “Woody” Williams (1923–2022), shown here at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, in 2020.
U.S. Marine Corps

Sub Menu

  • Essay Contests
    • About Essay Contests
  • Current Issue
  • Subscribe to Naval History
    • Naval History Digital Subscription
    • Renew Your Subscription
  • Naval History Blog
  • Submisison Guidelines
  • Contact Naval History
    • Media Inquiries
  • All Issues

Farewell to Woody Williams, Last Living WWII Medal of Honor Recipient

October 2022
Naval History Magazine
Naval History News
View Issue
Comments

U.S. Marine Corps veteran Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, the last living Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died on 29 June. He was 98.

A native of West Virginia, Williams garnered the nation’s highest military honor “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,” according to his Medal of Honor citation.

Dodging his way through a maze of pillboxes and landmines, Williams “daringly went forward alone to attempt the reduction of devastating machine-gun fire from the unyielding positions . . . . 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.”

In a statement released 29 June, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III noted, “Today, America lost not just a valiant Marine and a Medal of Honor recipient, but an important link to our nation’s fight against tyranny in the Second World War. Woody Williams gave to his nation on the battlefield and after, establishing a foundation to honor and recognize Gold Star families . . . . I hope every American will pause to reflect on his service and that of an entire generation that sacrificed so much to defend the cause of freedom and democracy.”

Related Articles

USS Samuel B. Roberts
NH Naval History News

Wreck of ‘Sammy B,’ Legendary Destroyer Escort, Discovered

October 2022
Nearly 78 years after her loss the wreck of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) was located in the Philippine Sea and identified in June.
book cover
NH Naval History News

Stillwell Wins Lyman Book Award for Battleship Commander

October 2022
Battleship Commander: The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. has been awarded the John Lyman Book Award.
Constitution
NH Naval History News

Happy Birthday, Old Ironsides: USS Constitution Turning 225

October 2022
The USS Constitution, one of the Navy’s original six frigates as well as its oldest commissioned warship—will celebrate the 225th anniversary of her launching on 21 October.

Quicklinks

Footer menu

  • About the Naval Institute
  • Books & Press
  • Naval History Magazine
  • USNI News
  • Proceedings
  • Oral Histories
  • Events
  • Naval Institute Foundation
  • Photos & Historical Prints
  • Advertise With Us
  • Naval Institute Archives

Receive the Newsletter

Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations.

Sign Up Now
Example NewsletterPrivacy Policy
USNI Logo White
Copyright © 2023 U.S. Naval Institute Privacy PolicyTerms of UseContact UsAdvertise With UsFAQContent LicenseMedia Inquiries
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
Powered by Unleashed Technologies
×

You've read 1 out of 5 free articles of Naval History this month.

Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. Subscribe now and never hit a limit.