Final Muster: Last WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams Dies at 98

Hershel “Woody” Williams, the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, died last Wednesday. The war hero was 98 at the time of his death. He reportedly died at the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center, which was named after him for his heroism.

The VA Medical Center announced Williams’ death on June 29:

“Today at 3:15am, Hershel Woodrow Williams, affectionately known by many as Woody went home to be with the Lord. Woody peacefully joined his beloved wife Ruby while surrounded by his family at the VA Medical Center which bears his name,” the medical institute announced.

“Woody’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude for all of the love and support. They would also like to share that Woody’s wish is that people continue to carry on his mission,” they added.

Who Is Hershel “Woody” W. Williams?

As he is affectionately called, “Woody” is a World War II hero with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. The youngest eleven children, he was a West Virginia native and served with the US Marines throughout his life.

After being drawn to the Marines’ blue uniforms, he decided to enlist but was rejected as he was only 5’6, making him too short for service at that time. Eventually, he would be allowed to enlist when height regulations changed in 1943.

The famous Rosenthal photo of the flag going up on Iwo Jima (Archives Branch, USMC History Division, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons). — The famous Rosenthal photo of the flag going up on Iwo Jima (Archives Branch, USMC History Division, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons).

He received his initial recruit training in San Diego, California, at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. After that, Williams would go on to Camp Elliot, where he would train for the tank and infantry battalions, where he learned how to use flamethrowers.

Further, in 1943, he would be sent to the Pacific after being assigned to the 32nd Replacement Battalion, joining Company C, 1st Battalion, 21st Marine Regiment, and 3rd Marine Division at Guadalcanal.

Woody would fight against the Japanese forces during the Battle of Guam in 1944, which allowed the allies to establish airbases that would support later campaigns in the Philippines. It would also be vital to allied campaigns against the Japanese mainland later in the war.

However, Williams would be known for his final campaign at the Battle of Iwo Jima. For our non-military readers, the Battle of Iwo Jima is the battle where the iconic photo of US servicemembers raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi was taken on February 23, 1945. While Williams was not in that photograph, his actions would be crucial to American victory on that particular day.

After the jungle fighting in Guam, Williams would join the action in Iwo Jima, where his fellow Marines were “dropping like flies” during the battle. He was the last demolition sergeant left by February 23 but was undeterred and jumped into the line of fire. With his flamethrower, he volunteered to move forward and advance in an attempt to eliminate the machine-gun operators that had been pinning them down from the pillboxes. What’s more impressive is that he only had four riflemen protecting him the whole time and managed to destroy seven pillboxes.

Imagine getting shot at by Japanese riflemen and machine gunners while holding a flamethrower and managing to kill them all. That is how “badass” Williams was. He was fearless in battle, shoving the nozzle of his 70-pound flamethrower into one of the pillboxes and killing everybody inside. In a separate instance, the Japanese forces were charging at him with bayonets, and he managed to kill them all.

Harry Truman, president of the United States, congratulates Hershel "Woody" Williams, a Marine reservist and survivor of the battle of Iwo Jima, on being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle of Iwo Jima, October 5, 1945 at the White House in Washington. Williams received the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life" on 23 February 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima (Official USMC Photograph, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons). — Harry Truman, president of the United States, congratulates Hershel “Woody” Williams, a Marine reservist and survivor of the battle of Iwo Jima, on being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle of Iwo Jima, October 5, 1945 at the White House in Washington. Williams received the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life” on 23 February 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima (Official USMC Photograph, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).

Ultimately, he managed to neutralize the Japanese, enabling US forces to advance and take the victory. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by former US President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945, for this heroism, at the White House. Two sailors and 10 Marines joined him, who also received the Medal of Honor.

Williams would stay with the Marine Corps Reserve until retirement and put up the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. Through his extraordinary service, he was incredibly humble and said he was just doing his job.

Remembering Williams

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hershel "Woody" Williams. @USMC Cpl Williams received the Medal of Honor for actions on Iwo Jima during WWII. At ANC, we've had the honor of encountering Woody during visits on Medal of Honor Day. We honor his service.
📷: Elizabeth Fraser pic.twitter.com/F6T1I3r0Hb

— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) June 29, 2022

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remembered the World War II hero as an “important link to our Nation’s fight against tyranny in the Second World War.”

“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,” Austin stated.

“Woody Williams will go down in history as one of the greatest West Virginians who ever lived, and we salute him for everything he gave to our state and our nation,” Gov. Jim Justice said.

Today, Williams remains a household name in his native West Virginia, along with Air Force Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager, the WWII fighter pilot ace who flew faster than the speed of sound. His funeral service will be held on Sunday at 4 pm at the state Cultural Center in Charleston.